By Lauren Farberman
Staff Writer
Manhattan Beach Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Dawnalyn Murakawa-Leopard presented the MBUSD 2015-16 Second Interim Budget at the March 14 Board of Trustees meeting to show decreases in local funds revenue, but increases in district revenue.
Local funds come from investments from local partners, such as Chevron and the Manhattan beach Chamber of Commerce. District revenue consists of Parent Teacher Association and MBX donations, which primarily donates in order to fund field trips, booster programs and student activities.
“Investment in education at the state level has been fantastic and that is a conversation that needs to continue so we can further supply children with adequate education,” Murakawa-Leopard said.
The specific increase in district revenue is $75,708 in Parent Teacher Association funds and $22,601 in MBX donations. There was also an increase of $631,355 in other donations and grants for student activities, especially extracurricular, according to Murakawa-Leopard’s report.
“Our district is lucky to have the academic and extracurricular programs that we do,” Murakawa-Leopard said. “It is thanks to our local partners that we are able to maintain the programs that we have.”
Murakawa-Leopard also reported on the decrease in local funds revenue. Murakawa-Leopard’s Dec. 9 first interim budget report, which reported the 2014-15 school year’s budget revenue, indicated that there was local funds revenue of $11,565,720. However, in her March 14 presentation, she reported local funds revenue of only $11,351,995, demonstrating an approximate $200,000 decrease in funds since last year.
“The area of funding that fluctuates the most is any form of local funding,” Murakawa-Leopard said. “It is impossible to know what local funding will amount to in dollars at the beginning of the school year.”
Since the First Interim Dec. 9 report, Murakawa-Leopard reported that the district has gained a $1,677,460 increase in revenue with $1,163,222 designated to unrestricted funding and $514,238 for restricted funding. However, there was an approximate $200,000 decrease in revenue in local funds.
“Investment in education at the state level has been fantastic and that is a conversation that needs to continue so we can further supply children with adequate education,” Murakawa-Leopard said.
Murakawa-Leopard reported that the overall increase in revenue is because of an increase of $75,708 in Parent Teacher Association donations, $108,082 in the 2015-16 Chevron grant, $22,601 in MBX donations and $631,355 in other donations and grants, primarily for field trips, booster programs and other student activities.
“Our district is lucky to have the academic and extracurricular programs that we do,” Murakawa-Leopard said. “It is thanks to our local partners that we are able to maintain the programs that we have.”
Nonetheless, during Murakawa-Leopard’s presentation, she also presented a decrease in revenue in local funds in particular. In the 2014-15 school year, the local funds had $11,565,720 in revenue, but this year, the revenue amounts to $11,351,995, amounting to an approximate $200,000 decrease in revenue.
“Due to the decline in enrollment in kindergarten and ninth-grade levels in the past year, we are figuring out how to respond in order to maintain a positive budget,” Murakawa-Leopard said. “We are looking at possibilities, such as limiting staffing based on enrollment.”
Murakawa-Leopard said that such a fluctuation in revenue is normal because the area of funding that fluctuates the most is any form of local funding.
“It is impossible to know what local funding will amount to in dollars at the beginning of the school year,” Murakawa-Leopard said.
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