January 2010
The Monroe County Community School Corporation is facing a $3.8 million shortfall in General Fund allocations for 2010. The monumental task facing the School Board is identifying where cuts will be made in order to balance the budget. The Superintendent and Board members would like to receive comments and suggestions from the public regarding ideas for setting priorities and making necessary reductions to accommodate this significant shortfall in funding.
School budget guidelines are set by the Legislature and are quite different from household and/or business budgets. Specifically, school systems in Indiana operate from separate funds, including: General Fund, Capital Projects Fund, Transportations Fund, Bus Replacement Fund, Debt Service Fund and Special Education Fund. Each fund is set up to finance specific resources for the school system. For example, the Capital Projects Fund is used specifically for buildings and grounds and some maintenance costs for buildings and grounds. The General Fund (the fund affected by the shortfall) is the largest of the funds and is used for personnel and instruction. Some 91% of the General Fund is allocated to personnel costs (salaries and benefits) for teachers, administrators, secretaries, custodians, maintenance, educational support and supervisory employees.
Personnel and programs will be affected by this budget shortfall and your input is critical to this process. We would like to receive your comments and suggestions. Please use the form below to share feedback.
Thank you for taking time to share with us.
Jeannine Butler, School Board President
J.T. Coopman, Superintendent