Gilpin school budget preparation  

From the District Office of Gilpin County Schools

02/10/2005 - The Gilpin County School District begins the long process of budget preparation in February each year. It feels like we are simply getting a good start on the current school year but the look ahead, to next year, starts today. Even though the final product does not have to be in front of the board of education until the middle of June, the process of constructing next year’s school district budget begins this month. Gilpin residents may have heard grim news recently from other school districts that have also begun this same process. But, due to the generosity of the Gilpin community in November 2003, the mill levy override will provide enough funds to operate this district without having to make any drastic cutbacks or close programs in the near future. We would love to say distant future but in a growing developing community that can be anyone’s guess. On the inside everyone watches carefully as we consider the cost of wages and benefits, insurance rates, the increasing cost of energy and transportation. Our current legislative session, which only finishes with the State budget in May, will establish our overall funding and that decision can send us all scurrying back to the drawing board. Education is a people heavy industry, with approximately 75% of our overall budget spent on wages and benefits; incremental changes can have drastic monetary effects. As a small school district we must be able to compete with these districts to ensure that we can attract and retain the best possible staff to work with the children of this community. So at this point in the process we are reviewing the board of education goals and developing our own strategic plans, we set our priorities and address our disparities. It is never a fun process but it is always entered into with optimism and enthusiasm for the year to come. We maintain a 3-year outlook on budget and pride ourselves on a conservative, prudent approach to managing taxpayers’ money.