As the school year comes to a close, the GAPS school districts discuss the budget available for the upcoming school year. On May 15, 2024, the GAPS Budget Committee met to discuss what has improved this past year, what still needs work, and what resources will no longer be available. 

     Based on the budget meeting, the GAPS district’s primary challenge is to keep the district sustainable and fiscally sound while addressing financial issues. The district is required to maintain at least 8% of the previous budget so funds can transfer to support the following school year,8% of the revenue is equivalent to one month’s operating costs. 

     As the years go by, inflation has increased wages for GAPS employees by 2.5% and is estimated to continue increasing by 2%. However, with the estimated available budget, the GAPS district has to make staff cuts to support employees as inflation affects the economy. 

     Budget cuts will reduce 11 classified staff, 5 elementary full-time equivalent (FTE), 16 teachers on special assignments, and 3 district positions in this upcoming school year. Classified staff are employees who don’t work as teachers but often fill admin positions. With the students always being the priority, the budget reflects the most important needs in their education, maintain/improve facilities, and provide for teacher learning.

     To build a financial plan, the work to maintain the stability of FTE has to be reduced, but only to the point where the classroom won’t be affected. The projected budget for the 2024-2025 school year will aim to keep the classroom environment the same but reduce staff numbers to maintain a sustainable wage.