Weast ends year with $32,800,000 surplus

Read the July 26, 2010, memorandum from Superintendent Weast here.


Note the surplus in these two categories:

Category 1, Administration, reflected a surplus of $1,862,479. The surplus is a result of greater than budgeted salary lapse and turnover savings ($900,000) and other savings as a result of the comprehensive expenditure restrictions ($950,000). Savings in Category 1 are 4.4 percent of budgeted expenditures.

Category 2, Mid-level Administration, reflected a surplus of $2,076,598. The surplus is a result of greater than budgeted lapse and turnover savings ($1,600,000), reductions in the acquisition of instructional materials ($200,000), and other savings as a result of the comprehensive expenditure restrictions ($300,000). Savings in Category 2 are 1.6 percent of budgeted expenditures.

And...remember how Superintendent Jerry Weast told the Board of Education that illegal curricular fees could not be eliminated because MCPS didn't have the money to pay for textbooks and instructional supplies? He said the "harsh reality is that MCPS simply would not be able to offer a number of courses that are available to students today..." 


Yet, he eliminated 70% of the fees by adding $1.5 million to the instructional budget. What would it take to eliminate ALL illegal curricular fees? Here's an over $5 million surplus sitting in the Textbook and Instructional Supplies budget. That should do it! 


So exactly why are MCPS students being charged illegal curricular fees?  

Category 4, Textbooks and Instructional Supplies, reflected a surplus of $5,189,453. The surplus is a result of reduced central acquisition of textbooks and instructional materials based on the comprehensive expenditure restrictions ($3,700,000), savings in instructional materials in the Office of Curriculum and Instructional Programs ($900,000), savings in expenditures for staff development training materials ($300,000), and savings in printing and computer supplies ($300,000).