A Citizen’s guide to theHoratio School District2009-2010Budget

Breaking Down the Budget

This publication focuses on the Horatio School District budget for the 2009-2010 school year. In this report we will concentrate on the cost of education, feeding, transporting, and providing for the shelter and safety of almost 900 students. We will also cover where our revenue is generated. School district revenue comes from many sources, such as grants, school bonds, and taxes. In creating the district budget there are several smaller budgets that combine to create the total school budget. Among these subcategory budgets include: operating, building, and food budgets. In this publication we will attempt to show the basics of public school finance. Therefore, you will find the meanings and purposes of the different types of fund budgets, and basic picture of where the dollars come from and where they go. First we will go over our revenues for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

Local $1,128,236.53State $8,168,382.91Building $ 308,057.84Technology $ 127,777.67Federal Funds $880,991.55Activity $ 228,106.04Food Service $ 345,779.14Total $11,187,331.68

Building/Bond FundThis fund is used to account for all resources available for acquiring sites, buildings and construction. The main source of funds for this

funds comes from the district issuing bonds.

Operating FundThis is the main fund that

receives local and state revenue to cover the cost of day- to- day activities in the

schools.

Federal FundsThese are funds from the

federal government that are targeted to special programs

and services.

Debt Service FundsFunds are transferred into this

fund from the operating fund to pay for the bonds the District has

issued to build our buildings.

Activity FundsThis fund is used to account for money that is held in trust for

student/schools groups.

Food Service FundThis fund accounts for all

financial activities associated with the District’s school lunch

program.

Where does our money come from?

Local Taxes14.78%

State66.77%

Federal16.60%

Other Local1.86%

Arkansas is charged with providing an adequate and equitable education for all students in its public school system. The state’s funding formula was devised to accomplish that goal, taking into account both the basic needs of school districts as well as the additional costs relative to special populations of students.

All school districts in Arkansas receive “foundation funding,” a set amount of money per student. The number of students in a district is determined by averaging the daily membership of a school for the first three quarters of the previous school year. Foundation Funding is made up of both state and Local funds.

In addition, the state compensates schools for growth or loss of student membership as well as for special categories of students. Those special categories are ELL, and NSLA. Below is a list of the amounts of funding to the Horatio school district for each program.

Foundation Funding: $5,905 per studentEnhanced Funding: $30,540.00National School Lunch Act (NSLA): $496 per NSLA student

Your Property

Taxes and the School District

All counties in Arkansas are authorized by state law to impose ad valorem taxes. These taxes are for real property, a house or land, and personal property such as: automobiles, boats and motors, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, and all-terrain vehicles. They are imposed according to item value only. These taxes are important to us because these taxes go to support local government agencies such as Horatio school district.

Example of Property TaxesHouse appraises

for$150,000

Property Assessment Ratio0.20

Assessed Value$ 30,000

Assessed Value$30,000

Millage Rate.044

Mills to the school district. Mills are in thousandths.

Tax Revenue For Horatio Schools

$ 1,320

The property assessment is 20 percent applied to the “true market value” of real property and to the usual selling price of personal property. The example above explains how to calculate the amount that Horatio Public Schools receives from your property taxes. The assessed value is multiplied by the millage rate which is 44 for Horatio schools. One mill is equal is one thousandth of a dollar.

County School District2009M&O Mills

2009 Dedicated M&O Mills

2009 Debt Service

Mills

2009 Total School Mills

SEVIER HORATIO 25.00 0.00 19.00 44.00

SEVIER DEQUEEN 25.00 0.00 2.30 27.30

LITTLE RIVER FOREMAN 28.00 0.00 7.50 35.50 LITTLE RIVER ASHDOWN 25.00 0.00 10.70 35.70

HOWARD NASHVILLE 25.00 0.00 6.70 31.70

HOWARD DIERKS 32.00 0.00 11.00 43.00

POLK WICKES 25.00 0.00 14.20 39.20

Millage Report of the Surrounding Area

While education is the essential business of schools, behind the scenes of every classroom are employees who take care of everything from buildings to buses, burgers to bandages, to ball fields. Still others provide security, keep track of supplies, wire computers , manage business affairs or provide teaching and leadership training. Here is information on just what it takes to keep the District running.

Teacher’s Salaries & Benefits ($3.4 million)Teacher’s salaries account for more than 65% of our operating budget. These funds are used to reward our teachers for delivering quality education to our students.

Maintenance & Operations ($563,000)Maintenance and Operations has the job of lighting, heating, repairing, maintaining and cleaning more that 10 buildings occupying over 97 thousand square feet. There are custodians, grounds, warehouse, and maintenance staffs

The Expenses

Many people are surprised to learn that the state of Arkansas does not require districts to furnish transportation. However many districts – includingHoratio - do so in the interest of student safety. The Horatio fleet has 15 busses Running over 62,300 miles a year.

Debt Service ($120,000)Just as most homeowners have a mortgage payment, the district must pay for the bonds which financed the buildings. Technology ($326,000)The district uses technology to enhance student learning opportunities. These funds are used to purchase and maintain computers, software and internet conductivity.

Maintenance & Operations Continued and the supplies and equipment they use.

Transportation ($218,000)

Each school district is unique. These tidbits of information provide an insight into the demographics of Horatio Public Schools.

HoratioBy the Numbers

•is available for every 3 students1

Computer

•of students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals in 2009-2010.

62Percent

• Enrollment in Pre-advanced placement – Advanced placement courses131

Pre/AP A/P

•Student to teacher ratio

12 : 1

•Of Horatio teachers hold advanced degrees.

45Percent

•Of students pursue post-secondary education55-

65Percent

The Budget by Program47 % Regular Instruction5% Special Education1 % Music (secondary)2 % Athletics2 % Career & Technical1 % Gifted & Talented3 % ESOL3 % Student Support Functions 3 % Instructional Support Functions3 % Administration10 % Operating & Maintenance2 % Transportation2 % Restricted State Grants16 % Debt/Refunding Transfer100% Total Operating Budget

(includes teacher salary and debt service funds)

Where does THE Money GO?

Educating children is a labor-intensive process. For that reason, the largest share of any school district’s budget goes to pay for employees’ wages and benefits. After salaries , the remaining budget goes to pay for supplies, equipment, utilities and the repayment of debt.

65% Salaries & Benefits

16% Debt

6% Supplies

7% Utilities

6% Equipment

100%

Districts in OurArea Coop

Students Enrolled 2009-2010

H o r a ti o 8 2 7

D e Q u e e n 2 4 9 6

F o r e m a n 5 5 3

A s h d o w n 1 5 3 5

Q u a c h i t a R i v e r 6 7 6

W i c k e s 7 3 0

V a n C o v e 4 3 0

M e n a 1 9 4 5

C a d d o H i l l s 5 5 0

M t . I d a 5 3 5

N a s h v i l l e 1 9 0 2

D i e r k s 5 1 4

M i n e r a l S p r i n g s 4 9 9

Arkansas has 245 school districts with approximately 465,000 students. There are 12 schools in our area coop.

Just how big is Horatio School District?

County District Starting SalarySevier Horatio $32,400

Sevier DeQueen $37,200

Little River Foreman $29,794

Little River Ashdown $30,750

Polk Quachita River $29,263

Polk Wickes $31,875

Polk Van Cove $29,655

Polk Mena $33,100

Polk Caddo Hills $29,244

Montgomery Mt. Ida $29,500

Howard Nashville $34,800

Howard Dierks $29,847Howard Mineral Springs $29,244

Starting Teacher Salaries

HOW MANY DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE IT WORK?

Our teachers are dedicated to helping children achieve the skills and knowledge they need for a lifetime of success. They are part of a friendly, caring, professional staff that works as a team to meet the needs of every student. It takes many more people besides teachers to make a school run smoothly. This page is dedicated to show the number and kind of people it takes to make all of it possible. Horatio Public Schools has approximately 127 employees, making it one of the largest employers in Sevier County.

9CUSTODIANS/

MAINTENANCE STAFF

6 CLERICAL

STAFF

74TEACHERS

14INSTRUCTIONAL

AIDES

5ADMINISTRATIVE

STAFF

2NURSES

8FOOD SERVICE

WORKERS

9BUS DRIVERS

Average Classroom Teacher’s Salary

$ 40,203.00

Average Salary of all Certified $ 41,800.00

Cost of Benefits $964,062.66

Cost of 1 Teaching Period $ 88.61

Cost of 1 Substitute Day $ 73.00

Cost Charged per Mile for Bus $ 3.35

3rd Quarter Average Membership of Students 2009-2010

827

Assessed Value of Sevier County $ 27,533,671.00

Millage 44

Value of 1 Mill $ 26,432.00

Local Collection Rate 96%

The Basic Pieces

Federal Funds Budget: ARRA Stimulus

On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The

Recovery Act ’s main purpose is to spur the economy, create jobs and to promote high levels of accountabil ity and

transparency in government spending. The Department of Education wil l receive $90.9 bi l l ion of the $787 bi l l ion plan

and the Horatio school distr ict is going to receive $1,156,922.00. The graphic below describes how Horatio

school district plans to spend the money.

17%Professional

Services

29%Technology

2%Other

47%Equipment

5%Instructional

Material

PARENTS, GET INVOLVED!

Have a voice in your students education. Parent involvement is essential in your child’s education. The district is truly committed to involving parents and developing strong school, family and community partnerships. Every school has a parent involvement plan, a list of volunteer opportunities and a parent resource center or just volunteer to be a part of their education.

For more information please contact us

Horatio School District205 Isbell Street

Horatio, AR 71842

Phone: 870-832-2343Fax: 870-832-2174

Or visit our website at

http://horatio.dmsc.k12.ar.us/