Budget: Outline
Establishing the District's annual operating budget is a complicated process. The information below is meant to help community members understand how the budget is created.
The Budget Development Process
The Deer Park School District budget development process for the upcoming school year (in this case the 2008/09 school year) begins from the moment school opens in September and culminates with a public referendum held the third Tuesday in May.
September:
The budget development process begins when school is opened and the department directors and building principals receive their budget packets. Each principal and director is responsible for determining his/her respective school or department’s needs.
December:
Central office administrators (The Superintendent, Asst. Superintendents, etc.) meet with principals to discuss their budget requests. Additionally, all new staffing needs and programmatic needs in relation to the curriculum are also discussed.
February-April:
Proposed budgets for every area are analyzed line by line by the Board of Education. Draft budgets are developed. Discussions take place at public meetings and public budget workshops. These meetings are advertised and the public is invited to participate and ask questions (see schedule of budget workshops below). Printouts of a draft ‘working’ budget are usually available for the public to review. After thorough discussion, the proposed budget is adopted by the Board of Education in April. Additional public meetings are held and all budget questions raised by the public are answered.
May:
A budget hearing is held. This is a forum that once again provides residents with an opportunity to ask questions regarding the proposed budget. This is typically the last public meeting held specifically for the purpose of educating the community on the proposed budget. A line-by-line printout of the proposed budget is available at the hearing, as well as an informative newsletter for residents to use as a guide for learning about the budget. This newsletter is also mailed to every Deer Park School District resident. Also, as per State law, a postcard is mailed after the public hearing providing only budget and tax impact information, in addition to basic voting information.
The proposed budget printout is also available for viewing at the Deer Park Public library and can be obtained by contacting the Deer Park Schools District Clerk, located at 1881 Deer Park Road (next to JFK Intermediate School or call 274-4013.
A budget for the next school year is not official until approved by the community in a public vote. If the community does not pass the budget in May, the Board of Education and District can conduct a second vote prior to July 1. The District is not obligated to conduct a second vote. If a second vote is held, the District has the option to put forth the same budget or can opt to reduce the proposed budget in an effort to provide a lower-tax impact budget for voters. Should the district opt not to hold a re-vote, or if a budget is defeated in a re-vote scenario, the district must operate on a contingency (austerity) budget.
This year, the vote for the proposed 2008/09 school year budget will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at Deer Park High School. Polling times to be announced.
Budget Calendar of Work Session Meetings for 2008:
Subject to Revision
Tuesday: February 12, 7:30 pm at District Office
Tuesday: March 4, 7:30 pm at District Office
Tuesday: March 11, 7:30 pm at District Office
Tuesday: April 8, 7:30 pm at District Office
Tuesday: April 15, 7:30 pm at District Office (Budget Adoption)
Tuesday: May 13, 7:30 pm at District Office (Budget Hearing)
There are also regular Board of Education meetings scheduled following the budget work sessions that take place prior to the May 20 vote, at which residents can ask questions or comment on the budget process during the public speaking period:
Tuesday: February 26, 8 pm at May Moore School
Tuesday: March 18, 8 pm at Abraham Lincoln School
Tuesday: April 29, 8 pm at Deer Park High School
Please check the Board of Education Meetings section for a full schedule of meetings for the 2007/08 school year.
