Twelve million dollars sounds like a lot, right? Enough to fix a squeaky chair and maybe even buy some new EXPO markers? You’d be surprised.
This year, Rocky is experiencing a budgeting shortfall. Principal Mr. Crist shares that “Our budget dropped by a pretty significant amount – more than Rocky has seen in maybe the last fifteen years . . . maybe even ever.” Still, he emphasizes that “Our goal is to make sure students still have options and opportunities, and that our staff is taken care of, even when times are hard.”
Although most students have no idea how budgeting works at Rocky–and understandably so–there’s a good chance they’ve felt its effect in one way or another. So, let’s pull back the curtain and do a deep dive into the world of high school budgeting!
Let’s follow the money. Rocky’s overall budget comes from Poudre School District, based on the number of enrolled students, which is first determined by prediction and then verified through October Count. Mr. Crist is responsible for managing the budget, which, as it turns out, is a lot more complex than it looks on paper.
“When you think about a $12 million budget, it sounds huge–but it is incredibly complicated.”
About 95% of the school budget goes directly to staff compensation. That includes certified staff, such as teachers and licensed educators, and classified staff who are hourly employees. The remaining 5%, about $600,000, makes up the operating budget. This small slice of the pie needs to cover a lot, including but not limited to athletics, activities, educational departments, and professional development. A lot of the costs are sucked up by a long list of small but important needs keeping the school running day after day.
However, even the operating budget isn’t as flexible as it sounds. PSD requires schools to have a budget reserve as a safety net of sorts. Last year, it was projected Rocky would have 1,930 students. In October, Rocky only had 1,897 full time students. Because the school’s annual funding was based on the higher projected number of students, Rocky is now required to return some of the reserve money to the district.
As Mr. Crist explains, “the operating budget covers department needs: curriculum, materials, furniture replacement, all sorts of things.”
In times like now where the budget is shrinking, everyone has needed to get a little more creative. As a result, many activities and departments turn to fundraising or seeking grant money to keep opportunities open to students.
Budget decisions aren’t made by just one person. Mr. Crist works closely with the assistant principals to ensure everything continues working smoothly.
“We work as a big team to make sure we’re covering every class and supporting students.”
Due to Fort Collin’s aging population, enrollment and funding are expected to continue decreasing for the next few years. Still, Mr. Crist is optimistic.
“The projections show a decline over the next couple of years, and then it starts to increase again.”
At the end of the day, budgeting isn’t just about the numbers on a spreadsheet but about the people. Every decision affects the classrooms and clubs at Rocky. Although there are many challenges and unexpected difficulties, Mr. Crist works behind the scenes to minimize any obstacles and keep students’ experience at Rocky as positive as possible.
