Marion County Public Schools expects $64M in budget cuts. What's the plan?
Interim School Superintendent Danielle Brewer will officially take over the public school system in mid-July, when Superintendent Diane Gullett leaves. When she does, Brewer, Deputy Superintendent Ben Whitehouse and the leadership team will have their hands full with the budget, managing two new elementary schools that open in August, and a new high school in 2026.
The Star-Banner posed several questions to Brewer and her team. Here are the responses we received:
Could you provide a breakdown on the number of people working for Marion County Public Schools?
Marion County Public Schools employs nearly 7,000 people. In rough numbers, about 3,000 are instructional (teachers), 3,000 are support (paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers, plumbers, electricians, bus drivers, custodians, etc.), and the remainder are school- and district-level administrators.
What's the budget for Marion County Public Schools?
2024-2025 budget was $1,335,838,990 including all funding. This also included ESSER (special COVID-related federal) funding and $330 million borrowed to pay for new schools, new wings, and school-based renovations. ESSER funds ended 9/30/24.
How much of the budget is for salaries and benefits?
Approximately 75%-80% of the annual budget goes to employee salaries and benefits.
How much money does MCPS receive federally and from the state, what are those funds used for, and do those funds have an expiration date?
MCPS receives funding broken down by the following levels:
+ Federal: $125 million
+ State: $287 million
+ Local: $336 million
+ Transfers: $35 million
+ Fund Balance: $526 million
These funds are used to pay for everything from salaries and benefits to fuel, food and beverages for student meals, textbooks, teacher trainings, new buses, student certification and testing fees, capital/building projects, loan repayment, etc.
Presently, what's the budget shortfall?
At this point, MCPS is anticipating just over $64 million in budget cuts this coming year over last year.