Estimates under Indiana’s proposed school funding formula have Culver schools taking a hit on revenue.
Representatives of the school corporation were invited to the statehouse for the third reading of House Bill 1001 in February. That bill deals with the state’s biennial budget, but includes allocations for education.
Current estimates suggest Culver schools will lose 42 students over the next year. Superintendent Vicki McGuire says past years indicate losses of 57 students in one year and 54 students in another.
“But if you look at 2013/14 to 14/15, we only lost 21,” says McGuire. “That’s a very, very good sign, hopefully we are not going to be losing 42 students next year.”
Changes that may really hurt Culver involve the complexity index. The schools are expected to receive around $1.14-million for the 2015 school year out of that allocation, but that figure is supposed to drop below $800-thousand for two years after that.
If the state takes out the reduced lunch and only count free lunch; it reduces funding. Removing free textbook funding also reduces revenue.
House Bill 1001 has not received final approval, but has been referred to the Appropriations Committee. McGuire says total allocations from the state are supposed to stay above $5-million for Culver schools over the next few years.
“You know, it’s so hard to plan because you never really know where you are,” says McGuire.
There may be a grant in the works at the state level for small schools losing money in the proposed funding formula.
No action was taken by the Culver School Board, Monday night.
