General notes on the FY11 budget hearing

A few general notes to start:
This was not the full budget presentation or hearing. The full budget will come out on May 28 (to, I am assured, not only the School Committee in a hard copy, but to the public online).
The budget will be heard, debated, and passed over two School Committee meetings: June 3 and June 17, both at 4 pm, at City Hall. Public comment on particular parts of the public is possible under suspension of rules.
The presentation from tonight will be up online tomorrow on the WPS website.

The short version:

Level service costs--from last year: increases only of teachers' step increases, health insurance increases, other increases in costs without additional services--would add up to $335 million
we have $319 million coming to us from federal, state, and city sources
there's the $16.8 million we are missing

Then we add in the $8.2 remaining in stimulus funds (and, reminder, that's it. No more stimulus), which brings us down to $8.6 million to fill.
$2 million is avaliable to use from school choice funds and from moving some additional stimulus funds over.
There's $840,000 this year due to school nutrition become self-funding on insurance
Administration is thus suggesting $3.59 million in positions cut (it's 140 positions, some full time, some part time)
and $2.2 million in operating reductions