When Superintendent Kym LeBlanc-Esparza presented the 2014-15 budget nearly a year ago, she told the budget committee it would support student progress toward 21st Century learning. 

While it is too early to determine whether the graduation rate has improved or the achievement gap has closed, the district is poised to invest in its strategic priorities in the 2015-16 budget. The annual budgeting process begins Tuesday, May 5, at the first meeting of the district budget committee.

LeBlanc-Esparza shares what the investment in our district priorities has yielded in the past year.

To advance the district’s strategic priorities this year, remaining bond funds and approximately $616,000 in grant dollars were leveraged to provide:

• expanded career and technical education opportunities for secondary students
• professional learning to teachers and school administrators to address achievement gaps for ELL students
• kindergarten readiness and early learning opportunities
• leadership to advance teaching and learning, instructional technology, school-to-business partnerships and STEM education
• technology for students and a more robust, secure infrastructure
• new assessment tools for educators
• streamlined communication systems to better connect school and home

However, before any dollars were directed to district priorities, the 2014-15 school district budget provided funds to:

• restore budgets previously supported by the bond
• establish a contingency fund
• provide employee salary increases
• increase elementary staffing

Budget decisions in 2010-2014 restored nearly all the staffing, school days and programs that were part of reductions during the economic downturn, including adding back:

• five calendar days
• class size
• Welcome Center staff
• extra-duty stipends
• campus monitor staff
• teaching & learning leadership and budget for professional development
• HVAC staff
• technology staff
• increases in school budgets

Click below for a complete list of the 2014-15 investment in the district’s strategic priorities