AS USUAL, THE ANSWER IS COMPLICATED (BLAME ANOTHER LEGISLATURE)

PHOENIX, March 27 – Joint Legislative Budget Committee’s (JLBC) Steve Schimpp had already explained to the board the FY16 budget estimates Peoria Unified School District funding would increase by between $0 and $200,000, but likely not decrease. He noted that, after 20 years of working with budget numbers, there are ways to come to a variety of bottom lines. He said the short answer to the question of whether the school district will receive a cut from the FY16 budget is that it would not. But he said that, although the budget didn’t cut funding, the school district will likely see a cut of $1.5 to $1.7 million next year, in large part because of the cuts made to Career Ladder funding by the 2011 Legislature. Board member Kathy Knecht got a roaring applause when she said that it’s helpful to know the backstory of how the cut happened, “but it doesn’t change the fact that we have to deal with $1.7 million less as we try to fulfill our commitment to our teachers and our community.”