The latest Wrangell School District draft budget for the next school year includes an estimated $700,000 in additional federal relief aid, but board members expressed concern that the money, while welcome, may only stave off spending cuts to a later date.
Several board members express skepticism at Monday evening's budget workshop that student enrollment would not pick up much as the pandemic subsides. State funding, the largest portion of school district revenues, is based almost entirely on enrollment numbers.
Students pulled out of district classes for homeschooling has cut deeply into enrollment the past year.
The district estimates it will receive $700,000 under the American Rescue Plan signed into law last month, Superintendent Debbe Lancaster said at the board workshop. The district is waiting on a final number.
According to Leeann Martin, district business manager, the money is to be used for sustaining the safe operations of schools and to address students' "social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs resulting from the pandemic."
The federal aid also is targeted at helping districts cover "learning loss"suffered by students during the pandemic.
Districts have until September 2024 to spend the funds.
The Wrangell district's latest draft budget sets next year's spending at about $5.5 million, using the full $700,000. This year's spending plan totaled about $5.7 million.
The district this year received about $370,000 from earlier federal pandemic relief aid appropriations.
While previous budget drafts required cuts to several positions, Martin said there would be no staffing cuts under the latest spending plan.
"We reinstated all certified salaries and benefits, reinstated classified hours and benefits,"Lancaster said. "Instead of paying for counselors out of the general fund, they would go to the COVID fund."
The draft also includes the addition of an assistant maintenance director, the superintendent said.
Separate from the federal funding, a recurring point of discussion Monday was next year's student enrollment. Lancaster said the latest draft budget, like previous drafts, is based on a student count of 259. Wrangell has typically seen about 300 students, but saw a serious drop in enrollment from the COVID-19 pandemic. The student count was 206 as of Monday, Lancaster said.
Even with the federal aid, she told the board that cuts would have to be made if enrollment does not increase.
Several board members said they were not confident that the district would see 259 students next year. The district has sent out surveys and made phone calls to see if parents were planning to enroll their kids next year, but they have not received many responses.
Several board members voiced concerns with the budget. Board Member Patty Gilbert suggested it would be better for the district to look at a bare-bones budget with the opportunity for additions, rather than to start the year with an overly optimistic budget and later be forced to make cuts.
Board Member David Wilson said, "It's irresponsible to say, 'Let's just leave everything as is, keep it and go with that $700,000 and spend it all,' knowing that we're going to have to come back next year because it won't be sustainable,"he said. "All we're doing is putting off misery for another year."
Several board members agreed they were mainly uncomfortable with the assumed enrollment numbers. After further discussion, and suggestions, the board asked the district to rework the budget draft based on a student count of 225, and only using about $350,000 of the relief funding.
The school board is scheduled to hold a joint workshop with the borough assembly at 7 p.m. tonight on next year's school budget.
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