Board Of Education Adopts Fiscal Year 2010-11 Budget

Frequently Asked Budget Questions

The Wicomico County Board of Education at a special meeting on Tuesday, June 29, approved the Fiscal Year 2010-2011 Consolidated Current Expense Budget for the budget year beginning July 1.

The Board of Education unanimously approved the Consolidated Current Expense Budget of $173.4 million, a total that is nearly $11 million less than the previous year’s budget due to funding reductions from the county, state and federal governments and decreases in other local resources. The consolidated budget includes $157.4 million in the unrestricted current expenses budget and $16.1 million in the restricted (grants) budget.

“This has been a very trying and difficult process that we’ve gone through for many months, to see how we could reduce the budget by almost $11 million dollars, and we have done our due diligence,” said Board President Mark S. Thompson, who was leading is final Board of Education meeting before his term ends June 30.

Board Vice President L. Michelle Wright said it was the most challenging budget the Board has worked on in her four years on the Board. “Under the circumstances, although it was difficult, I think we have a budget that can work, that will fund the education of our students and still provide some of the training that our staff needs.”

In approving the budget in what has been a very difficult budget year, the Board aligned budgeted items with the school system’s Bridge to Excellence Master Plan Strategic Priorities of High Student Achievement, Safe Learning Environment, and Effective and Efficient Operations. Every effort was made to keep the effect of budget cuts away from the classroom and away from direct student-teacher contact, Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen said.

The fiscal year 2010-2011 budget will be posted under Quick Links at www.wcboe.org on July 1.

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