Olathe Public Schools makes ‘budget adjustments’
Teachers and administrators are going to be working with a smaller budget going forward.
OLATHE, Kan. (KCTV) - There is about to be some serious belt-tightening within Olathe Public Schools.
Some people all them budget cuts, but the district prefers to call it a budget adjustment.
No matter what you call it, teachers and administrators are going to be working with a smaller budget going forward.
School administrators want to assure parents that this year’s budget is balanced.
However, in putting together next year’s budget, they realized a loss of $7 million from the Board of Tax Appeals or BOTA funding. That’s money associated with school expansion and growth, but the district said growth has slowed Olathe.
“That funding stream has been reduced, so we’re seeing the impact of that,” said Maggie Kolb with Olathe Public Schools. “Additionally, we had an unexpected decrease in enrollment and we’ve also seen some unexpected costs related to the COVID pandemic. So, all of that combining together is what has gotten us into the current situation we’re in today.”
Kolb said the budget realignment will impact all schools and departments across the system.
Staff will see reductions in department and school budgets, and positions could be eliminated. However, Kolb said the district is committed to limiting the impact on students.
“We are looking at a reduction of about 6% of our operating budget,” said Kolb. “Obviously, these decisions are not made easily and we are working to make sure we are minimizing the impact on our students and on our classrooms. Our focus is on taking care of the people in our organization and working closely with those whose positions are going to be eliminated to help them find other avenues within our system.”
Copyright 2022 KCTV. All rights reserved.
