Schools'

Schools'

'93 budget:

$4.8 million

County's portion

rises 11 percent

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock News Staff Writer

For School Superintendent David Gangel the major challenge in developing the $4.8 million budget he presented to the School Board Tuesday night was deciding on the expected enrollment to use in building the budget.

The current budget was based on an average daily membership (ADM) of 945. On Tuesday the enrollment was 1,000. The school system will be able to apply to Richmond for more funds because • the county is picking up more than its required cost for education.

The budget for next year is based on an enrollment of 1,010. It includes a request for $2.7 million from the county. That is the minimum the county would have to pay to fund a budget of 1,010, but it is also an increase of $261,000 (or 10.6 percent) over the amount the county is spending this year on public education.

The main reason that much more is required of the local government is the increase in the Local Composite Index (LCI), the state’s estimate of the county’s ability to fund education, which rose from .63 to .699. That change means that the county government is expected to fund nearly 70 percent of the state’s estimates of required spending, rather than about 63 percent.

If the budget is passed as presented and the county again has enrollment over the projected ADM the school system will not be able to apply to Richmond for more funding next year because the local government will not be meeting its share of the larger enrollment.

The public will have an opportunity to respond to the budget next Tpeeday at the SchoolB<ttrd£j*g*. lar meeting. ^

The budget shows an increase of $15,600 in state funds over the current budget. It also shows an increase of $79,300 in federal funds. There is a decrease of $10,300 in “other funds,” chiefly because the estimate for sales tax income is lower than projections in previous years.

The total budget shows an inSee

SCHOOL BUDGET, p. A-2