If you were around back then when school budgets were voted on and were paying attention to that Board of Mythomania's Bloated and Out-of-Control $214.2m $pending School Budget rejected by the voters, then you would of realized it was just a numbers game.
Seems the myth is that after the State cut state aid by $14,353,189, the Council cut the School Budget by another $6,500,000.
Simply Not true. If it was, then you would of seen a big drop in the Fiscal-year School tax levy and Calendar-year School tax rate from the preliminary School Budget to the Certified School tax levy after the council cut.
There wasn't any - the School tax rate went from $2.498 to $2.490.
With that reduction of $14,353,189 in State aid, it was the State that forced the Big reduction in $pending to the 2010 Budget, not the Council. In fact, the Council only ended up cutting $1,181,779 after the State aid cuts. Far be it from me to stand up for the All-Dem Council but in this case they're being treated a Tad Bit unfairly.
Here's how you can see it quickly from the numbers below:
2010 $pending Budget $214,172,758
Cut in State aid - 14,353,189
Revised $pending 199,819,559
Less: State aid -13,556,749
Fiscal-year Tax Levy 186,262,810
Council Certified School
Tax Levy 185,081,031
Council Cut $1,181,779
And only half the $1,181,779 fell into the 2010-11 School year, which is why the School tax rate only went from $2.498 to $2.490.
So, as you can see from the numbers below, of the $14,353,189 cut in State aid, they only cut the $pending by $9,334,968in the Final 2010-11 column, which let the difference go into the Fiscal-Year School tax levy - which is what went before the Council where they thought they were cutting the $6.5m from.
Anyhoo, if any of my Council friends are watching - whether the Council back then knew this or they were snookered really doesn't matter - what matters is the Council Never Cut $6.5m and is Not a valid argument for Not moving the School Board elections back to April.
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