“The 2015-16 school budget must support progress toward 21st Century teaching and learning and ensure that “all means all”,” said Newberg Superintendent Kym LeBlanc-Esparza to the district Budget Committee at its first meeting May 5th.

LeBlanc-Esparza presented a proposed $48,172,190 budget to the 14-member citizen Budget Committee. The proposed budget is $2,813,477 more than the current year budget. While most of the proposed expenditures are in salaries and benefits,  the budget aligns with priorities and goals in the district’s strategic plan.

Before she shared spending goals for the coming year, LeBlanc-Esparza listed the staffing, school days and programs that have been restored in 2010-2014 since they were eliminated during the economic down turn, including:

• Five calendar days
• Class size,
• Staff for Welcome Center, HVAC, technology and campus monitoring
• Extra-duty stipends
• Teaching & learning leadership and budget for professional learning
• Increases to school budgets

(Read about District priorities: are we moving the dial?)

2015-16 Budget priorities
Providing a high-quality, engaging educational experience to all students and ensuring every classroom has an effective educator supported by strong leadership and staff  are key priorities in making progress toward 21st century teaching and learning for all students.

According to LeBlanc-Esparza, the 2015-16 school budget will:

• Maintain current programs
• Provide full day kindergarten $717,762
• Anticipate Employee Contracts approx. $1,218,000
• Increase school budgets at $12/student $63,239
• Provide Professional Learning, subs and stipends for staff - $337,500
• Re-establish fund for musical instrument repair and replacement $25,000
• Begin year 1 Digital conversion $324,976
• Increase custodial staffing $28,020
• Overhead costs – utilities, transportation, property insurance etc. $81,000
• Continue support for STEM & CTE $15,000
• Support Association participation in district leadership $19,535

The budget committee meets to scrutinize school and district budgets prior to the second Budget Committee Meeting on May 19, 2015. The budget then goes to the Newberg School Board for adoption on June 9, 2015.