The Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District has been working since last fall to address a projected $10 million deficit in the 2004-05 General Fund (Maintenance & Operating) Budget. Although the district is still early in the budget cycle, I want to update our citizens on the progress being made to reduce this projected deficit. You may recall that last November the district outlined ten items that if enacted would help the district "balance the budget." Although the district is still working with projections, I believe that the staff has made tremendous, yet difficult, strides in our efforts to reduce expenditures. Our preliminary budget projections are based on the following concepts: Texas laws regarding school finance will remain as is for the 2004-05 school year. C-FB ISD's property values will remain flat; that is, we are not anticipating an increase or a decline in property values. The district's student enrollment will grow slightly. The only major expenditure that the district can trim that will make a significant impact on the budget is salaries & benefits. For next year, we are projecting about $8.5 million less than in 2003-04 budget for payroll costs. That decrease is occurring because the district has made the following modifications: Moved from an 8-period block schedule at the secondary schools to a 6 or 7-period schedule. Effective next school year, our high schools will have 7-period schedules while our middle schools will operate 6-period days. Contracted with Dallas County Schools (DCS) to operate our transportation services for 2004-05. This transition is underway, and DCS is working very hard to make this conversion as smooth as possible for our Transportation staff and our students. Reduced the program offerings at the Mary Grimes Education Center. Reduced library/technology support by eliminating media technician positions. Reduced additional central administrative & support positions. In addition, the district has implemented an "employee early exit program." Although this is not a measure that I want to do, the program is available to teachers and other employees on the teacher pay scale who meet specific criteria. Eligible staff members have until April 2nd to participate in this program. Consequently, we do not know how this option will impact the budget. Since C-FB ISD did see a 4.49% decline in property values in 2003-04, the district's Robin Hood payment for 2004-05 will decline to approximately $46 million. With the reductions in payroll costs and the Robin Hood payment, the 2004-05 preliminary General Fund budget is about 5% less than our current year's budget. The current budget estimates reflect no salary increases for our staff; however, we remain committed to identifying additional savings. If enough savings can be identified or C-FB ISD's assessed values increase, my goal is to provide salary adjustments for our staff who work tirelessly for our students and their achievement. While C-FB ISD is making tough financial decisions, we must continue to pressure state elected officials to make changes in the school finance system. Those of us who believe in public education must rally together and demand that our state elected officials adequately fund public education. February 2004 January 2004 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003

News | District | Schools | Divisions & Departments | Employment | Superintendent & Board | Calendars | Community | CFB Links cfbinfo@cfbisd.edu 1445 North Perry Rd Carrollton, TX  75006 (972) 466-6100 Phone (972) 323-5765 Fax Some links may require the FREE Acrobat Reader Download Here