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FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

June 22 2020

Impending Challenges

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INPUT

  • Complete the short input form located on the Finance Facts website

  • Email questions or comments to communications@shakopee.k12.mn.us

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IMPENDING CHALLENGES

  • This year’s budget (2019-20 school year) is expected to be balanced
  • Next year’s budget (2020-21 school year) is projected to be imbalanced
    • Structural budget challenge next year and continuing in future years
    • Immediate action is being taken for next year (July 20 board agenda)
      • 2020-21 School Year: FUND BALANCE IMPROVEMENT
      • 2020-21 School year: $450,000 in permanent BUDGET CUTS
    • Extensive action needs to be taken to solve the e structural budget challenges next year continuing in future years (July 20 board agenda)
      • Budget cuts
      • Additional operating revenue
      • Combination of budget cuts and additional operating revenue

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IMPENDING CHALLENGES

  1. Budget cuts
    1. Solving the impending financial challenges using only budget cuts:
      1. 2020-21: $450,000 in budget cuts
      2. 2021-22: $1,600,000 in budget cuts
      3. 2021-22: $5,400,000 in budget cuts
      4. 2022-23: $900,000 in budget cuts
      5. 2024-25: $2,800,000 in budget cuts
  2. Additional operating revenue
    • Solving the impending financial challenges using only an operating levy to generate additional revenue is too large a burden for the taxpayers in our community
  3. Combination of budget cuts and additional operating revenue
    • Appears to be the most prudent, conservative, and respectful path forward

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IMPENDING CHALLENGES

This is a link to one comparison between using only budget cuts to solve the impending financial challenges versus using a combination of budget cuts and a phased in operating levy to solve the same financial challenges.

This comparison is being used for illustrative purposes only, and is one of a number of comparisons that could be used. At this time, no decisions have been made by the School Board as to which type of budget adjustments will be used to meet the impending financial challenges facing the Shakopee Public Schools. These decisions will be made at the July 20, 2020 board meeting.

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SCHOOL BOARD DECISION TIMELINE

TIMELINE

July 20: Vote on budget adjustment options

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FUTURE PLANS

Analysis of Budget Adjustment Options

          • Multiple Plans/Timelines for Consideration
          • Recap impending challenges and need for budget adjustment options
          • Summary of CFAC report to School Board Finance Committee
          • Detailed presentation of draft budget cuts proposal
          • Brief presentation of three possible phased in levy options and tax impacts
          • Board request referendum proposal to be presented on July 11 at Board Retreat

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BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

WHY?

  1. Maintain quality programming and learning opportunities for students
  2. Attract, retain, and fairly compensate high-quality teachers
  3. Build a path to long-term financial stability

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DEFINING THE CHALLENGE

School districts maintain fund balances for financial stability, cash flow and unanticipated expenses.

We have worked hard to rebuild the fund balance in recent years - however, the fund balance for the 2020-21 school year is expected to decrease by $2.5 million to cover expenses.

Additional effort is required to rebuild the fund balance to a healthier level while maintaining our programs and services. There are three options to rebuild the fund balance: reduce expenses, increase revenue, or a combination of the two.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education

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DEFINING THE CHALLENGE

EXPENSES < REVENUE

  • This is not what our future looks like
    • Starting next school year, our expenses are greater than our revenues.
      • Inadequate state funding = funding gap
      • No voter approved operating levy
      • Unfunded mandates
  • We need to fix the math problem
    • Make budget cuts
    • Increase revenue through a voter-approved operating levy
    • Or, both

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DEFINING THE CHALLENGE

KEY INFORMATION

Projected Budget Deficits:

-$2.5 million for school year 2020-21 (FY21)

-$5.8 million for school year 2021-22 (FY22)

If nothing is done (which is not an option):

Unassigned Fund Balance on June 30, 2021: $1.1 million

Unassigned Fund Balance on June 30, 2022: -$4.7 million

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DEFINING THE CHALLENGE

Shakopee receives less funding per student than both the metro and state averages - and also spends less per student - while still maintaining our quality programs and services.

Source: Bergen KDV, District Auditors

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DEFINING THE CHALLENGE

If state funding had kept pace with inflation since 2003, Shakopee Public Schools would have received more than $5 million in additional state aid in the 2019-20 school year alone.

We also pay nearly $9 million annually for unfunded mandates that are not being reimbursed from the State or Federal government as promised.

Source: AMSD.org; MDE February 2020 inflation estimates

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DEFINING THE CHALLENGE

Shakopee Public Schools has no voter-approved operating levy, putting us about $1,250 per student below the metro average.

The last time local voters approved an operating levy increase was more than a decade ago.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education

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DEFINING THE CHALLENGE

Shakopee Public Schools currently receives $0 in voter approved operating levy revenue.

  • The state average for voter approved operating levy is $844 per pupil. If Shakopee were to receive the state average in operating levy revenue it would amount to $7.7 million per year.
  • The metro average for voter approved operating levy is $1250 per pupil. If Shakopee were to receive the metro average in operating levy revenue it would amount to $11.4 million per year.

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SUMMARY OF CFAC REPORT TO SCHOOL BOARD FINANCE COMMITTEE

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DEFINING THE CHALLENGE

PATH TO LONG-TERM FINANCIAL STABILITY

  • Starting with the 2022-23 school year, and continuing each year after:
    • Add a minimum of $500,000 to the unassigned fund balance
    • Continue until unassigned fund balance reaches $10 million

BOTH TYPES OF BUDGET ADJUSTMENTS ARE NEEDED

Reduce expenses

  • Permanent reductions through budget cuts

Increase revenue

  • Operating levy - requires voter approval

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PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS

OVERVIEW:

  • 2020-21 School Year
    • Fund Balance Improvement. Not counted as part of budget cuts.
    • $450,000 in budget cuts

  • 2021-22 School Year
    • $1.6 M in budget cuts
      • Does not include cuts to classroom teachers
    • Additional $5.4 M in budget cuts if there is no increase in operating revenue (ie. levy not run, or levy doesn’t pass)

  • PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS

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POSSIBLE PHASED IN LEVY OPTIONS

INCREASE REVENUE with an OPERATING LEVY

  • Operating levy request on Nov 3, 2020 ballot
    • Phased-in levy: Rather than receiving for the total levy amount all at once, the levy revenue is phased-in over a period of time, typically three or four years
    • Because the levy request is broken into smaller chunks over time, the tax impact is also phased-in over time
    • A fiscally conservative and respectful approach for taxpayers

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POSSIBLE PHASED IN LEVY OPTIONS

  • Due to construction debt being paid off, an opportunity exists to increase operating revenue without increasing taxes paid by community in year one of a phased in levy

    • Each of three phased in levy options shown later in this presentation would result in no net tax increase in year one , and tempered tax increases in years two through four

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PHASED-IN LEVY #1: 400,300,200,100

Tax Impacts

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BOARD REQUEST

In acknowledgement of the immediate (next year and the years that follow) budget challenges, district leadership has been working on a range of budget adjustments strategies.

In acknowledgement of the projection of future budget challenges (starting next year and continuing in the years that follow), and the need to increase revenue or make cut cuts to meet this challenges, district leadership has been working on various forms of phased in operating levies.

Should the School Board want to direct, district leadership will be prepared to share at the School Board Retreat on July 11, a recommendation for a specific phased in operating levy to be considered for use on November 3, 2020.

-A motion for directing such action may be appropriate at this time.

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INPUT

  • Complete the short input form located on the Finance Facts website

  • Email questions or comments to communications@shakopee.k12.mn.us