2007-08 Adopted Plan - Wake County Public School System

Budget ProcessBudget GuidelinesEach division has developed a strategic plan for the next three years.Annual performance plans follow the strategic plans. In order to preparethe budget request for 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10, each division willcost out the items necessary to support the strategic plan. Savings andcosts will be identifi ed.School-based budgets are formula-driven. 2007-08 school-based budgetswill be estimated based on projected student membership, staffi nglevels, and square footage. Principals should communicate with theirarea superintendent if they have suggestions for formula adjustments.Area superintendents will incorporate budget items from the school levelin their budget requests.To determine what did and did not go into the budget, we applied the followingcriteria during the budget development period:Legislative IssuesWe assume state funding formulas remain the same until decisions aremade by the General Assembly. We apply the formulas to our projectedgrowth fi gures for student membership, staff levels, and number ofschools. We assume the discretionary reductions in the state budget for2006-07 will remain.Commitments by Board of Education (BOE) to Programs for FutureFundingWe included increases for programs previously committed to by theBoard of Education. Commitments by BOE cases are provided for eachof these items.New Programs or Increased Funding for Existing ProgramsWe created budgets for new programs or expansions to existing programs.These increases were aligned to the system goal. Businesscase methodologies were provided for each of these items.Savings and Reduction of One-Time Costs from the Previous YearOne-time costs from 2006-07 were eliminated. Savings from the previousyear were identifi ed.As a result of all these efforts, we were able to build a balanced budgetfor 2007-08 that accommodates the growth in our district and maintainsthe programs currently in place that are helping us achieve progress towardsGoal 2008.Growth IssuesDollars were budgeted to maintain our current supplementary pay schedulesand to maintain our current staffi ng formulas. These budget increasesare tied directly to growth in student membership, staffi ng levels,number of schools, square footage, and acreage. Startup dollars werebudgeted for early hires, purchased services, and staff development forschools that will be opening or expanding grade levels in the summer of2008. Growth cases are provided for each of these items.Systemwide IncreasesIncreases were included to maintain fi scal accountability, facility leases,safety and security, fixed asset replacement, capital budget and rate increases.Systemwide increase cases are provided for each of theseitems.74