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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE MARCH 2014 ATM Warrant Article Analysis and Recommendations FundsFundingCommittee Article 4: Appropriate FY2015 RequestedSourceRecommendation Operating Budget $167,178,567See MotionApprove (9-0) The operating budget consists of Education (1000), Shared Expenses (2000), and Municipal (3000-8000) programs. Major components of the operating budget are discussed below. Each major section of this request is discussed separately below. FundsFunding RequestedSource Program 1100: Lexington Public Schools $86,623,929See Motion The School Committee has voted to recommend a FY2015 appropriation of $86,623,929. The request represents an increase of $5,223,422 or 6.42% above the FY2014 appropriation. The amount requested is $642,332 below the amount available for the public schools under the current revenue allocation model that sets a baseline for school and municipal budgets at the start of the budget development process. The FY2015 request would implement a budget that allows for contractual increases, the addition of 25.46 FTE (a 2.46% increase) in staffing to address legal requirements, enrollment increases, and very limited programmatic improvements. The $86,623,929 budget request does not include $346,314 carried under Shared Expenses for the purpose of benefits associated with the new positions being requested. The primary drivers of the increases relative to FY2014 are: · Salary increases based on current negotiated contracts · Staffing increases due to enrollment increases and grant offsets · Staffing increases in special education legally required to address changes in the number of stu- dents with special needs and in the nature of their needs · Staffing increases driven by state-mandated changes · Programmatic improvements. Lexington is implementing new state-mandated educator evaluation requirements, revising curriculum per the newly adopted Common Core, and preparing for the imminent phase-out of MCAS in favor of a new national system known as PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers). In addition, positions are being added for programmatic improvements in areas such as guidance and tech- nology and emergency preparedness. Funding Sources The General Fund supports the majority of the school budget. However, other sources also support school operations, including funds from state, federal and other sources that are not subject to appropriation. These additional funds can vary year to year, making it difficult to compare appropriation requests across years. For example, the FY2015 budget assumes that the Lexington Public schools will receive a one-time payment for the final balance of funds in the Avalon Bay School Enrollment Mitigation Stabilization Fund, and also a recurring payment for circuit breaker reimbursements. The latter will be finalized later in the spring or early summer via State legislation. 4