“If we had extra money to do things,” Alachua County Superintendent Kamela Patton said Tuesday night at a county school board meeting, “we would be doing that.”
A handful of residents had shown up — for at least the third time this year — to ask for an increase in educators’ salaries.
On March 3, the Florida Department of Education announced a $6.5 million reduction in projected general fund revenue for the Alachua County School District, due in part to a reduction in student enrollment.
For the 2024-25 fiscal year, the district expected $297.7 million in General Fund revenue. However, after the $6.56 million mid-year reduction, the district’s unrestricted fund balance dropped to $13.14 million rather than the $14.89 million needed to meet the board-required minimum threshold of 5%.
The projected general fund is the estimated amount of money a school district expects to receive and use for its daily operations within a given fiscal year.
Since state education funding is based on the number of enrolled students through the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP), fewer students mean fewer state dollars for the district.
To address this shortfall, the board reviewed a plan that outlines cost-cutting measures to restore the balance, including a hiring freeze, staffing reductions, and budget restrictions.
According to Board Member Sarah Rockwell, the board has always been transparent with the citizens. She said the board knew it was going to lose money, but members expected a reduction of $4 million dollars, not $6.5 million.
Armando Grundy-Gomes, an East Gainesville resident, raised concerns not only about teacher salaries but also on budget expenditure.
“You have more outgoing than what's coming in,” he said. “But you are still not changing your behaviors.”
Board Member Thomas Vu said he wants to change how Alachua County Public Schools manage the budget. According to Vu, in previous years, the general fund ending balance would have fallen behind 3% if it wasn't for the federal government’s help.
Vu said he wants to shift the priorities when allocating the budget, focusing on the classroom and teachers.
“Our budget reflects our priorities,” he said. “And when you look at how we’ve built budgets these past 10 years, you can see where the priorities are and it's not in instruction, it's not in teachers.”
Despite the shortfall, the board has approved significant investments, including $7.1 million for new school buses. That funding will come from the capital budget, which Patton said state law prohibits the district to use for salaries.
As a result of the meeting, the district’s goal is to restore the unrestricted general fund balance to the required 5% threshold by June 30, 2025.
Board members will meet again on April 15.