Gresham-Barlow School District

Budget 101

Welcome to Budget 101!

The Gresham-Barlow School District (GBSD) has a $177 million general budget to operate 17 schools and provide for the academic and social-emotional needs of more than 10,000 students. Our Budget 101 webpage provides an overview of the GBSD budget—where our funding comes from, how it is spent, and how we ensure funds are used so students are inspired, empowered, and THRIVE!

WHAT DRIVES THE GBSD BUDGET?

Enrollment

Growing Needs

Strategic Focus Areas

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?

A majority of the district’s revenues comes from the state of Oregon, as determined by the state legislature.

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

Education is a people business. The school district serves more than 10,000 students in 17 schools. Because of this, 70% of our budget goes to staff salaries, wages, benefits, and other associated payroll costs. The remaining 30% is spent on operation costs to include hiring bus drivers to provide transportation, employing food service staff to make and serve school meals, utilities, classroom supplies, maintenance, and after-school programming through the SUN program.

HOW RESOURCES ARE ALLOCATED TO SCHOOLS

Enrollment

We allocate staff based on enrollment. Our staffing standards include ratios of projected students per classroom teacher. The staffing standards are applied to the projected student enrollment to come up with the initial staffing allocations. Enrollment and the needs of schools are continually monitored, and additional support is provided when available.

Need

We also differentiate allocations based on the needs of the students the school serves. For instance, if a school has a higher population of English language learners, they will receive additional staff to provide English language development services. The same goes for schools with a higher population of special education students. Schools that have a high percentage of children from low-income families receive additional staffing, support, and interventions to help meet the needs of those students and families.

Programs

We also allocate staff and resources based on programs at the school. If a school has a special program, such as dual-language immersion (DLI) or career-technical education (CTE), specialized staff is provided. The Student Support Services Department determines special education staffing for schools so that each student receives an appropriate education in the least restrictive environment as determined by the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).

THE BUDGET CYCLE

Budget development takes place each year and consists of three phases:

Phase 1

During the fall and winter, the superintendent and district staff work to prepare a proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year. District staff gather feedback and use it to develop the budget. At the conclusion of this process, the superintendent submits a proposed budget to the District’s Budget Committee.

Phase 2

The budget committee, made up of the School Board and members of the community, reviews and discusses the proposed budget in the spring. The committee holds a public hearing to gather feedback. The Budget Committee approves the budget and submits it to the school board.

Phase 3

Once the budget is approved by the Budget Committee, it is forwarded to the school board. Prior to adopting the budget, the school board holds a public hearing. The school board must legally adopt a budget by June 30.