With levy passed, Worthington takes close look at finances

 

Worthington school board members worked on a plan for financial stability this week as they cast a critical eye on future expenses.

Superintendent Melissa Conrath rolled out the first draft of a document titled "Planning for Fiscal Stability" at a board workshop session Monday, Nov. 23.

"A stable financial forecast, which includes predictable revenue, is a critical component to Worthington schools' ability to plan for the educational needs of its students," Conrath states in the first line of the document.

Conrath told board members the district has to consider the question, "Where do we go from here?" even though the district's 6.9-mill incremental levy request was successful Nov. 3.

"We were at risk for not passing a tax issue, so we went for a reduced millage request," she said. "We won't generate the same amount of revenue with the incremental levy that we would have with the 7.4-mill request, so we will want to work cooperatively with our community to work out a way we can come back to them at reasonable levels and at reasonable intervals."

A 7.4-mill levy request was turned down by district voters in May.

Conrath said some budget reductions will be necessary despite the successful levy passage, partly due to the uncertainty of state funding and the likely phasing out of business tangible tax reimbursement.

She said identifying budget reduction options "will require careful planning and involve input from a variety of stockholders."

Conrath outlined a vision on the fiscal planning document that stated Worthington schools would "ensure all students master the essential curriculum and beyond; close the achievement gap among subgroups of the student population; and develop competence in 21st-century content, learning skills and tools."

Conrath said she wanted to put together a budget review team by early December to consider each of the district's program offerings and determine "whether to keep, reduce, redesign or eliminate" the program.

"I'd like to identify any possible budget reductions by March of next year to determine if we are closing the gap between what we have in our budget and what we need," she said.

Conrath said the review team will identify the rationale behind each program or service, the resources allocated to support it, and performance measures and outcomes, and consider any alternative delivery methods for the program.

Conrath plans to hold a public forum in January, during which she and Treasurer Jeff McCuen will present updated district financial information, recommendations for reductions and a question-and-answer session.

She said she also is planning to create online surveys to ask residents for input.

Board member Marc Schare said the main question he would ask is, "What kind of levy would the community support in 2012?"

"The reason I think the incremental levy was so successful is that it had been five years since an operating levy had been passed," he said. "Would a levy be as successful if we come back in three years, not five years? We might want to calculate the maximum amount of a future levy and how long we can make it last."

Board member Jennifer Best said the board "needs to look at our expense curve to minimize it."

Conrath said some reductions could be made over time.

"We may find reductions we can't implement for a year or two," she said. "We don't want to make changes we know will be detrimental, but we want to make sure people understand we have to make some budget reductions."