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Saint Paul Public Schools seeks community feedback on 2009-10 budget through online survey

Budget_Survey4
Click on the image to take the survey.
Saint Paul, Minn.- As Saint Paul Public Schools works to balance a budget with aprojected shortfall of $25 million, District leaders want to hear thevoices of the people they serve. An online survey is now posted to theDisrict's website to help community members give feedback on proposedbudget decisions and use of the Federal stimulus funding the Districtexpects to receive this year.

SPPS faces a projected shortfallof $25 million for the 2009-10 school year. About $10 million of thatreflects a "structural deficit" due to declining enrollment that willcontinue for at least the next four years. This falls on the heels ofeight straight years of budget reductions that have strained theDistrict's ability to meet ever-increasing student needs and close theachievement gap.

District leaders used the following guiding objectives to develop budget reduction recommendations:
·    Provide equitable access to resources.
·    Comply with all local, state and federal laws and regulations.
·    Provide sufficient resources to close achievement gaps.
·    Allocate funds on a direct per-students basis.
·    Target funds to meet student needs.
·    Allow flexibility at the school level in resource use.

Thesurvey is only one opportunity for community members to give feedback.Others include Large-Scale Systems Changes public meetings in May andexisting District and parent advisory groups. The survey will beavailable to community members through late May, at which point theresults will be combined with other feedback and shared with Districtadministration and the Board of Education prior to any final actiontaken on the 2009-10 budget in June.

The budget survey ended on May 31. To view updates on SPPS budget issues, go to http://www.spps.org/2009-2010Budget.html.