2020-03-25-AC-ATM-rpt - Laserfiche WebLink

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APPROPRIATION COMMITTEE-2.020 ATM 25 March 2020 Salaries and Wages Salary and wage changes result from changes in the number of employees, step increases, cost of living adjustments (COLA), and position reclassifications. The budget takes both anticipated bargaining unit set- tlements and increases for non-union positions into account. The effective dates of the most recent collec- tive bargaining agreements may be found in the LPS Budget Book on page "Budget Overview— 10". Salaries and wages make up 84%of the FY2021 request. The increase over FY2020 comprises both salary increases for existing staff and the net addition to the staff of 3.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees (including unallocated positions). This net increase is the sum of a decrease of 9.32 FTEs from currently authorized positions ("base changes")mostly resulting from an analysis of how special education services are delivered, and increases of 5.70 FTEs to satisfy legal mandates, 3.57 FTEs driven by enrollment in- creases, and 3.25 FTEs to effect program improvements. See the Brown Book or the LPS Budget Book for a detailed list of the positions that will be consolidated, eliminated,or created.The cost of the benefits associated with the new positions,$49,739,is included under Shared Expenses. Expenses Expenses make up 16% of the FY2021 request. The increase in out-of-district tuition of$909,522 is the largest for any single line in the detailed expense budget (see the "Expenses" section of the LPS Budget Book). There are also sizable increases for transportation costs for regular education students ($271,210) and special education students ($230,262). The budget for LPS legal expenses has been reduced by about $84,000 based on lower utilization during the two most recent school years. There are also modest reduc- tions because one-time expenditures from the FY2020 budget for the move into the new Hastings School and the strategic planning initiative are not part of the FY2021 budget. School Enrollments The student population that the district serves includes the following categories: • PreK in-district including special education and tuition-paying general education students; • K-12 in-district general education and special education (including METCO); • PreK-22 out-of-district placement. This table shows student enrollments for the past three years and the enrollment projected for the fall of 2020.Decreases in enrollment at the elementary level from October 1,2017,to October 1,2018,and further to October 1, 2019, are the first declines in over ten years. Our experience has been that enrollment figures are somewhat volatile, and trends are difficult to spot, so a generous level of flexibility is warranted. The budget includes 7.5 unallocated FTEs to cover potential increases in regular education or special education staff in case the enrollment increases go beyond the projections listed in the table below (but not beyond estimated 90%confidence upper limits on the enrollment increases). If the increases do not materialize,the positions will not be filled and the corresponding amounts will not be spent,unless other unexpected critical needs for the funds arise within the school system. Oct. 1,2017 Oct. 1,2018 Oct. 1,2019 Projected FY2021 Enrollment Enrollment Enrollment Enrollment Early Childhood 73 69 68 74 Elementary 3,150 3,094 3,019 3,011 Middle School 1,813 1,833 1,828 1,874 High School 2,212 2,263 2,275 2,295 Total 7,248 7,259 7,190 7,254 7