By Linda Farneth
On March 13, while the business owners of Colonial Beach congratulated each other at the Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner the Colonial Beach School Board and school staff were taking care of business.
Superintendent Dashan Turner reported the current student enrollment for the High School is 226, Elementary is 409 and the Pre-K is 35. The school is holding a steady Average Daily Membership (ADM) of 635 students. However when creating a proposed budget for the 2019-2020 school year Turner said staff used a conservative figure of 610 students.
Turner said the state budget has been adopted. Revenue projections are based on the actions of the 2019 General Assembly and have been used to develop the school’s budget.
“We have developed this budget using a projected average daily membership (ADM) of 610 students.
Which is up from the previous year when we used 585.” Tuner said.
Turner said the composite index for Colonial Beach has increased from .3402 for fiscal year 2019 to .36 for fiscal year 2020. Which means the ability for the locality to pay has increased according to the composite index resulting in less funding from the State. Turner said, “However with an increase ADM number we are able to make accurate projections for the budget.”
The Virginia Department of Education (VDEM) defines composite index as follows:
Composite Index of Local Ability to PayThe Composite Index determines a school division’s ability to pay education costs fundamental to the commonwealth’s Standards of Quality (SOQ). The Composite Index is calculated using three indicators of a locality’s ability-to-pay:
Each locality’s index is adjusted to maintain an overall statewide local share of 45 percent and an overall state share of 55 percent. |
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