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School funding good, but not great Local districts will keep going with few frills By VICKI GUARINO They prepared for the worst, so school officials say state funding for the coming two years will allow local schools to maintain the basics for Jackson County's 29,000 students. But expenditures that educators say are necessary -- new texts to keep up with teaching reforms, for example, and more counselors to aid troubled youth -- may yet be beyond the means of lean budgets. In the last days of a record-length legislative session, lawmakers allocated $4.811 billion for public instruction. Jackson County school officials, however, wrote budgets with lower expectations. Because of financial deadlines, budgets for the coming school year had to be set weeks before the Legislature acted. As a result, most local districts will wind up getting more in state money than they had budgeted, according to state estimates. Among the most financially optimistic school districts was Central Point. The district adopted a 1999-2000 budget with the expectation that the Legislature would allocate $4.8 billion. At that, the district would be able to maintain existing programs. Now, the state funding decision appears to give Central Point slightly more than expected. Superintendent Candy Manary is withholding a celebration, however. The formulas that determine how the $4.811 billion is distributed among Oregon's 198 school districts are complicated, she says. In fact, one recent set of estimates showed Central Point revenues going down slightly from earlier projections. The state allocates funds to districts on a formula based on enrollment and weighted to give more money for students who need extra assistance and special programs, such as developmentally disabled youth and teen parents. While it appears Central Point might have some extra dollars. according to the state Legislative Revenue Office, Manary says she's waiting for a more accurate and up-to-date funding forecast from the Oregon Department of Education. That estimate is due by mid-August. Meanwhile, Manary intends to leave vacant four teaching positions in the 4,500-student district. If Central Point does wind up with additional revenue after filling those positions, Manary wants to set aside money for contingencies -- a standard budget item that the district has had to spend down to a dangerously small sum in the past couple of years. Eagle Point's financial position is similarly unclear, says district finance director Mark Sorensen. In just a brief examination of revenue office figures he noted a significant error in enrollment. Student numbers, Sorensen says, are not as high as the state office is predicting, meaning the state's revenue forecast for Eagle Point is too high. The discrepancy isn't a concern, however, because Eagle Point officials were among the most pessimistic in the county. The district's budget was based on a $4.7 billion allocation for the biennium. He said the district might hold any unanticipated funds over for the next school year to help cover anticipated wage increases. The Medford School District also built this year's budget around the $4.7 billion projection. Officials in that district have said they would like to use any additional funds for texts and the hiring of special education teachers. Despite the many curriculum changes of the past couple of years brought on by education reforms and state standardized tests, the district has not bought new books. The Phoenix-Talent district, which also had a low revenue estimate of $4.76 billion, has put school counselors high on its list of unmet needs. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA