Dear MPS partners and friends,
Planning for the fiscal year 2015 (FY15) budget – which runs from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015 – is in full swing, with schools and departments receiving their initial budget allocations. We want to make sure that all MPS stakeholders have an opportunity to be a part of the process of maintaining a sustainable financial foundation to support academic achievement.
The release of budget allocations is just one step in the budget process. Initial allocations are not a final budget; they simply provide a starting point for discussion. Now is the time for school leaders to work with their school communities on how to use their budget for next school year and, in a few cases, identify whether more resources are necessary at their school site.
I am pleased that, more than ever, school support is at the heart of this year’s budget. In our efforts to increase funding to individual schools, we are proposing a $33 million increase of funds that are directly allocated to schools. That increase equates to $336 million to schools overall, compared to the current fiscal year’s $303 million.
The FY15 budget provides an increase of $2 million to support lower class sizes (K-3) in high priority schools, which are lower-performing schools designated for special focus to raise student achievement. There is also an increase of $10 million that includes additional spending to support academic intervention strategies, including:
- More math and reading specialists
- Additional support for International Baccalaureate, talent development and advanced learner education, arts and English learners at schools
About $5.4 million in additional funding has been budgeted to support enhanced services in the areas of transportation and plant operations. Furthermore, we plan to add two districtwide sports and increase funding for adaptive sports in order to allow more students across MPS to participate in athletics.
Our goal with the FY15 budget allocations is to provide principals and their site leadership teams with more flexibility to better meet the needs of their students. As I mentioned above, each year in a few cases a school’s initial allocation may not meet the school’s expectations. A leadership team including Chief Operating Officer Robert Doty and the associate superintendents actively works with school principals to understand and respond to each unique situation.
The school district’s budget recommendation continues to be preliminary and will be discussed in board committee meetings, schools and the community this spring. I encourage you to participate in one of the many upcoming engagement sessions. A complete calendar of events is available on the MPS website. The school board is scheduled to vote on the FY15 budget in late June.
Thank you for your continued interest, involvement and investment in Minneapolis Public Schools.
Sincerely,
Bernadeia H. Johnson, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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