KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo Public Schools has set their budget for next year, despite not knowing what their income is going to be.
The 2022-2023 budget is based on the Governor’s proposal for spending, which some believe may be the most generous and the least likely to be approved.
This while the school district is also dealing with labor shortages and labor groups clamoring for raises, more public school money being diverted to community colleges, a souring economy, and inflation.
Also looming is a proposed income tax cut, which KPS Finance Director Jim English says would also cut into the revenue stream for schools.
Board of Education President Patty Sholler Barber says she is “appalled and embarrassed” that legislators would consider a tax cut when the state has so many unmet needs.
The total KPS budget for the school year is just over $201 million, a 9% increase over last year despite a projected decline in enrollment of around 100 students.
School officials attribute the increase to COVID-19 relief funding, which must be spent reversing the damage left by the pandemic.
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