Speaking of the foundation budget

This is the chart you need to see how the foundation budget is underfunded:

You can click to make this bigger. From last night's budget presentation.

So what does this mean?

The foundation budget is based on budget categories: it says that to educate each given student, it costs X in each of the above categories.
What the chart above shows is the comparison between what the foundation budget for FY16 looks like by what the foundation budget would say we're spending, and what we actually need to spend.

Because the bottom two categories are so large, and because Worcester is funded just below the minimum foundation amount, money must be pulled out of the other categories to fund those two. 

It gives a much more realistic view of where the money comes from and goes than many other sound bites you may hear.

There are a number of horrifying percentages up there--maintenance at 63%?--but the real nadir of this is instructional materials and technology at 28.2% of foundation.

And yes, parents: that's why you're sending in reams of paper!