District Approves $178 Million Budget

From the Sun Post;

Despite the uncertainties of state funding, the Robbinsdale District 281 School Board on June 20 adopted a $178.8 million expenditure budget for 2011-12.  Revenue totaling $171.1 million is projected as of this month, according to Lonnie Smith, District 281’s executive director of business services.  “We had to take an educated estimate at what the revenue might be,” Smith said. “We were conservative. We made a conservative estimate of expenditures and revenue, and we held the line.”  He noted, however, that lunch prices will increase by 10 cents each on average in 2011-12, the first increase in three years.

Even with flat expenditures, revenue will decrease, Smith said.  The school district’s largest fund, the general fund, is projected at expenditures of $127.8 million, Smith said. Eighty-one percent of that fund goes to salaries, wages and employee benefits.  In addition to the general fund, the other five funds comprising the budget and their projected expenditures for 2011-12 include debt service, $16.494 million; building construction, $14.1 million; community services, $7.855 million; capital expenditure, $6.362 million; and child nutrition, $6.155 million.