FY 2018-19 Nassau County School District Budget, part 2

Nassau County School Superintendent Dr. Kathy Burns

Submitted by Dr. Kathy Burns

Nassau County School Superintendent

August 31, 2018 -- 10:00 a.m.

[Note:  This is part 2 of a 3-part series on the Nassau County School District's FY2018-19 Budget.  For part 1, click here.]

The district’s budget increased by: $8M for 2018-19.  The operating budget increased by $2.6 million and the majority of the balance was for capital projects.  The operating increase can be accounted for by the expected growth in the student population and due to complying with the requirements of Senate Bill 7026 in the areas School Safety and mental health.  There were also thirty-one additional teachers hired for the year. The legislature did provide $568,216 in additional safe school dollars and $366,808 for mental health services. However, the funding fell short of matching our needs as we worked to hire:

• A District Safety Specialist
• 4 Additional Resource Officers
• Establish a law enforcement agency and hire 7 additional officers
• Provide mental health services on every campus with 5 additional employees

Budget cuts included:

• Reduction in positions
• Elimination of overtime
• Vacancies in personnel and finance unfilled
• Retiree position in Maintenance/Facilities unfilled
• Elimination of Superintendent’s Secretary
• District level budget cuts

Another factor we cannot ignore is technology.  Our middle schools are equipped with laptops in the hands of every student.  This year we expanded our one to one initiative to include all high schools – 3750 additional devicesadded for the 2018-19 school year.  Classrooms were also equipped with new interactive panels. We’ve worked diligently to improve technology throughout the district and must plan now for continued refresh in the future.  This is a monumental task.  This, coupled with the fact that every facet of our organization requires the touch of technology now, including buses.   Our district of 12,029 students and 1521 employees supports over 13,550 daily users.  We cannot ignore technology and must strive to be forward thinking and planning. 

The increase to the Capital Budget is mainly due to the increased collection of Impact Fees.  The majority of impact fees are being accumulated to pay for the next new school, which at the current rate of growth will be sooner rather than later. Additionally, as our buildings continue to age we need to provide the necessary repairs and renovations to ensure the best environment for our students to excel.

The Nassau County School District has been fortunate to operate without long term debt for many years.  The most recent school construction project – Wildlight Elementary School (at a cost of approximately $25 million) was paid in full upon completion.

As rapid growth continues, additional classroom space at existing sites and new schools will be necessary.  This also means additional personnel and services to ensure a free, public, safe, quality education for our children.