From the 1993-94 school year (the inception of revenue limits) through the 2006-07 school year budget, the district has eliminated 615.27 positions and $52,717,546 of services from its budget.
| Positions Eliminated | Services Cut | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002-03 | 96.5 | $7.25M |
| 2003-04 | 27.4 | $3M |
| 2004-05 | 128.7 | $9.9M |
| 2005-06 | 107.6 | $8.2M |
| 2006-07 | 88.9 | $6.8M |
| TOTALS | 449.1 | $35.15M |
State and federal mandates
Under-funded state and federal mandates exacerbate the revenue limit crisis.
English as a Second Language (English Language Learners, ELL). — During the 1993-94 school year, there were:
The state reimbursed local school districts for 33.1% of ELL costs.
By the 2005-06 school year there were:
The state currently reimburses local school districts for 12% of ELL costs.
If the reimbursement rate was the same today as it was when revenue limits began, the district would have received $3.8 million from the state instead of $1.4 million — a difference of $2.449 million, paid by local property tax payers.
Special Education — During the 1993-94 school year, the state reimbursed school districts for 45% of special education-related costs; now the rate is 28% and slipping annually. If the District had been reimbursed for its special education expenses at the 45% rate, an additional $9,145,914 would have been available to prevent the $6.8 million cut in services/programs to students this school year.
At the 1993-94 reimbursement rates, ELL and SPED combined, the district would have had nearly $13 million in additional resources in 06-07.
January 2007