Last night the Fall River School Committee was presented a proposed $273.9 million budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1.
The spending plan is $27 million more than this year’s allocation. During her presentation, school superintendent Dr. Tracy Curley laid out to committee members what makes up the budget from state and city resources.
Most of the money in the budget will come from the state while the City of Fall River is proposed to contribute $43.1 million next year, a $2.45 million increase over this year. The city has been the beneficiary of a change in the state’s education funding formula which resulted in millions of dollars of increased funding over the last five years.
The budget is primarily based on the number of school-age students in Fall River and its socioeconomic demographics. Dr. Curley says the district has benefitted from an increase in school-aged children in recent years yet is cautious as to whether that trend will continue.
The school committee will begin its budget meetings in two weeks to approve a spending plan later this spring.
Video courtesy Fall River Educational Television
