The Superintendent’s Budget Recommendations for the 2005-06 School Year present a budget of $428,576,920 for Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) — a reduction of $40,792,200 from last school year’s budget and nearly the lowest spending level for the district in four years.
While continuing to focus resources on the district’s primary mission of increasing student academic performance, this budget reflects the successful implementation of Cincinnati Public Schools’ Fiscal Responsibility Plan.
Honoring a commitment made to voters in the November 2004 operating levy renewal campaign, the district — with the support of employee union leadership — undertook aggressive efforts to dramatically lower costs and bring staffing in line with enrollment.
Cost-reduction and staff rightsizing measures implemented by Cincinnati Public Schools since December 2004 include consolidating/merging and closing six small schools; offering a voluntary employee severance plan; eliminating centrally funded positions (across all funding sources); and eliminating 116 certified positions through a reduction in force.
In preparing centrally controlled budgets for the 2005-06 school year, department heads used a zero-based budgeting process for all non-personnel budgets. Each budgeted expenditure was subject to a justification process to ensure that the spending was necessary to support vital district operations.
Through these measures and by financing costs of the severance plan through the issuance of five-year tax anticipation notes, the district was able to greatly exceed its cost-reduction target of $25 million. The $428-million General Fund Budget for 2005-06 reduces spending by nearly $41 million from the 2004-05 spending plan. The last time the district neared the $428-million mark for its operating budget was in the 2001-02 school year, when the General Fund Budget totaled $427.5 million.
The cost-reduction measures make it possible for Cincinnati Public Schools to extend the life of its last new operating levy, which was approved in November 2000 and projected to last four years. The district continues to honor the commitments promised through that levy, including lower class sizes in the primary grades, improved building maintenance and additional resources for neighborhood schools.
The Superintendent’s Budget Recommendations reflect a strong commitment to academic best practices, strategic planning and continued fiscal responsibility. Special emphasis is given to several priority initiatives to be implemented through continued or redirected funding:
Additional rightsizing measures
Deep appreciation is expressed to members of the Budget Commission for their thorough consideration and input during the budget process. Comprising parents, teachers, principals, central-office administrators and union leaders, this advisory group provided a valuable review of and feedback on the Superintendent’s preliminary budget recommendations.
It is our plan to further strengthen fiscal planning in Cincinnati Public Schools during the 2005-06 school year through an earlier start to the budget process. In addition, we intend to form advisory committees, including parent and community membership as well as district staff, which will provide heightened attention to such priority fiscal areas as transportation, out-of-district tuition, Student-based Budgeting and energy conservation.