Saturday, August 1, 2009

'Rithmetic

When editors inform the citizenry that the school budget is the same as last year, that had better be true. That wasn't the case this morning. DeSoto Editor Susan Hoffman told readers the school board increased its millage request, "although holding the budget to the same level as last year."

Here are the numbers according to one set of documents released by the school district, which doesn't include food service and several earmarked federally funded programs:

Last year's school budget was: $42,493,179.
This year's school budget is: $39,118,632.
That doesn't add up to "the same," even to an English major.
That's a $3,375,547 budget reduction.
Why is a measely $3.4 million or so significant? Ask the teachers and administrators who are trying to pull our district out of a dismal performance rating: a classic case of being asked to do more with less.

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