KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — It was a big money night for the Kalamazoo School district as they took care of business, as they near the end of their fiscal year.
That included reviewing a tentative budget for the next school year, which begins July 1st, and borrowing $16-million to keep the doors open and the lights on until the first check from Lansing arrives in the mail this fall. It’s become an annual ritual that Trustee Carol McGlinn thinks is a waste of money for them to pay interest because the state can’t make their payments on a timely basis. Lawmakers scramble to get the budget done by July first so that they can plan their budgets, but they don’t send them the money until October.
It cost the District $145-thousand in interest to float their loan last year, money they would have preferred to put into the classroom.
Kalamazoo School Trustees took a preliminary look at their estimated budget for next year at last night’s meeting. Finance Director Gary Start says it’s only an estimate at this point because legislators haven’t finalized the budget.
He is guessing they will get about $108 more per student, which won’t keep up with inflation. He says the increase in state aid hasn’t kept up with inflation in over a decade, which over the years has added up to what has essentially been a 20% cut in revenue.
He says that is partially offset because they have seen an increased enrollment, but he says it’s much worse for other school districts that have seen their student enrollment decline.
Trustees will take a final vote on budget in two weeks.
