The Ketchikan School Board meets Wednesday, and the top item on the agenda is a public hearing and a vote on next year’s budget.
There are several lines segmenting the program-based budget. They indicate different funding levels, and which programs are kept or cut, based on those levels. In his report to the Borough Assembly on Monday, Superintendent Robert Boyle described each line.
“The red line is known-knowns: This year’s allocation of funds and the projected allocation of what the borough suggested,” he said. “From there, we’ve got a thin black line that indicates two things: One that the governor said he thought was appropriate, which is an $85 BSA; and then what the House said, which is $185. But the House is a tricky thing – we still don’t know if that included the $100 million one-time funding associated with the governor’s budget.
“The thick dark line at the bottom indicates where the Senate said they could go, with a $400 increase. We can accomplish everything that we’d like to have done within the district and still create a substantial reserve. We’d like to see that of course, but we’re not holding our breath.”
The BSA, or base-student allocation, is the amount of money the state provides for each student in a school district.
At the level of the thick black line, the district would spend about $32 million, not including grants.
If it passes Wednesday, the School Board will have to vote a second time on the fiscal year 2015 budget before it is officially approved.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in Borough Assembly chambers at the White Cliff building. Public comment will be heard at the start and end of the meeting.
