Board OKs $108 Million School District Budget

The Edina Board of Education unanimously approved the district's proposed $108.6 million operating budgets for 2011-12 this week, despite uncertainty over what state funding will look like.

Board members voted 5-0 on Monday night, June 20, to approve the General, Food Service, Transportation, Building, Debt Service and Internal Service Fund budgets.

Director of Business Services Margo Nash said the six-month budgeting process was a difficult one, as state funding has not kept pace with inflation.

"It's a balancing act in using resources," Nash said.

With Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP Legislators gridlocked over the state's biennial budget, Edina board members were forced to approve the budget without actually knowing how much state funding they will receive.

Board Member Peyton Robb—who earlier this month voiced his displeasure with proposed cuts and funding shifts to K-12 funding—said he would like to see the budget process "moved up earlier so we can react appropriately."

"It would be really great if the Legislature and Governor would meet their statutory requirements," Robb said. "We needed to know our numbers back in April and … and have already done our hirings and layoffs based on best guess scenarios."

The district's approved $85.7 million General Fund budget is down from its $87 million mark for 2010-11, thanks in part to the extensive  undertaken this year. The finalized BRRRG plan outlined more than $2.3 million in cuts for the upcoming school year, including the elimination of elementary Spanish, increases in class sizes at the middle and high school, increased fees and a reduction in both staff and training opportunities.

District officials said they're still waiting for the conclusion of the legislative session to plot their long-range plans, with a final budget approval due by December.