Sequestration

You have probably heard the term sequestration in the news over the past few months.  Sequestration is a term used to describe the practice of using mandatory spending cuts in the federal budget if the cost of running the government exceeds either an arbitrary amount or the gross revenue it brings during the fiscal year.  Simply put, sequestration is the employment, across the board spending cuts in the face of annual budget deficits according to the web page about.com.  Sequestration was originally scheduled to take effect on January 2, 2013; this date was currently postponed to March 1, 2013.  For the FY 13 school year, these cuts will be applied to many programs including discretionary education programs.  The depth of the cuts would be estimated at 5.3%.   The programs that would be affected in the Garfield School District include, Title I, Title II, Title III,  IDEA, and Career & Technical Education Grants just  to name a few.   The total for all of the programs run approximately $393,738 for Garfield School District.  If the estimated 5.3% cut became effective, it would account for a $20,868 decrease in this fiscal year’s budget.  At this point, the District will absorb the funding shortfall for this school year.  The number of positions offered next year would need to be reduced to offset the federal financial shortfall.

–Superintendent Ben Dalton