The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

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November 5, 2009

Superintendent: Miami school district weathering state cuts

By Krista Duhon

news@joplinglobe.com

MIAMI, Okla. — The superintendent of schools in Miami says the district is weathering the latest round of budget cuts because of conservative spending practices, a carry-over of funds and a boost from federal stimulus money.

But, she said, the district may have to prepare for additional budget tightening next year.

As students returned to school in August, the state implemented cuts in state aid of 5 percent, which for Miami meant a loss of $20,046.92 that first month, according to Loretta Robinson, the superintendent. September’s and October’s allocations were reduced by $20,957.90 and $41,004.41, respectively, and district officials expect the cuts in the monthly allocations to continue.

The cuts are being whittled away from an initial state aid allocation for Miami that was projected at $9.1 million for the current fiscal year, which already was down by $600,000 from the previous fiscal year’s figure.

Robinson said the $600,000 cut was not related to a decline in enrollment.

“This is just how the state decided to dispense the funds this year,” she said.

Robinson said some Oklahoma educators believe the state used the stimulus funding to justify cutting state aid to schools, and then redirected the money that originally was budgeted for school allocations. For Miami, the stimulus funds came to $600,000 — the same as the earlier budget cut.

The Miami district entered the 2009-10 fiscal year with $2.6 million in reserves, said Robinson, who is in the middle of her first year with the district. She said about $200,000 of that is grant money that must be used for dedicated programs and cannot offer the district much in terms of offsetting cuts in state aid.

The stimulus funds can be spent at the district’s discretion.

“Because of good planning, we have a healthy fund balance,” Robinson said. “We are watching our budget very closely and making sure that we are spending our money wisely.”

The Miami district’s budget for 2009-10 projects spending of just over $17 million. Revenues are projected at $16.6 million, plus a carry-over from last year of $2.5 million.

Some Oklahoma schools have been looking at cutting programs and adopting four-day school weeks because of the budget cuts.

“We are not there yet,” Robinson said. “We are not in a panic situation. We have to be cautious about our spending and continue to manage our money well.”

District officials are expecting the budget to get even tighter. In January, Robinson said, the cost for insurance for employees is going to go up, but the state allocation for insurance is being reduced.

“Next year is when we will really feel the impact of these cuts to state aid allocations,” Robinson said. “This (stimulus) cushion will only last one year. That is why we must be planning effectively now.”





Oklahoma woes

During the first three months of the fiscal year that began July 1, the state collected about $1.1 billion in tax revenue. That’s about $462 million less than it collected during the same three months last year. State finance officials have told state agencies to expect 5 percent budget cuts for the rest of the fiscal year.

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