Due to inadequate state funding that has not kept pace with inflation, the pandemic and other pressures on the operating budget, PLSAS has made $5 million in budget adjustments in the past two school years - and we anticipate additional adjustments of $2 million in the year ahead.
We rely heavily on state funding to provide the education our students deserve and our community expects. With the legislature at an impasse, school districts do not yet know what funding from the state will be, which makes our budget planning quite challenging.
State funding has not kept pace with inflation or increasing educational costs for nearly two decades. In addition, critical state-mandated programs to support student needs cost the district millions more than it receives each year for these services, putting additional pressure on the district’s general operating budget.
While we are grateful for the federal COVID relief dollars, they are one-time funds designed to help schools cover pandemic-related costs and will not help with our long-term budget sustainability. In fact, our combined COVID-related costs and revenue losses have exceeded our relief funds by more than $4 million, leaving us with a COVID-related deficit.
As we work through these budget challenges, students are at the center of all decisions made at PLSAS and we will continue to be fiscally responsible with the funding we have while prioritizing student learning.
