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The State Education Budget for the 2020-21 Fiscal Year and the planning for the next school year were topics of discussion in this week's Dewey Public Schools Board of Education meeting, and there remains to be some uncertainty.

A State Education Budget has been put forth that cuts 4.5-percent out of the state aid formula. Superintendent Vince Vincent said that accounts for 50-percent of the funding for their school district.

Approximately $400,000 could be lost. However, that total is based off of the worst case scenario. Superintendent Vincent said they could see a real reduction of $300,000 to $350,000.

Another factor that has contributed to this projected shortfall in the budget has been the drop in enrollment at Dewey Public Schools. Superintendent Vincent said they have seen a reduction of 40 students enrolling in classes in past three years.

The third factor that contributes to the $300,000 to $400,000 budget shortfall is state and local dollars that are being impacted by a depressed economy.

Superintendent Vincent said another 50-percent of funding for Dewey Public Schools comes from local dollars in Washington County. He said it is difficult to determine how the local economy will be effected as we progress further in the wild year that is 2020.

Dewey Public Schools is doing what it can to come up with a plan to attack that budget shortfall, and funds from the CARES Act will help the cause. Superintendent Vincent said they have already received that funding and they will use it in the next fiscal year.

Dewey Public Schools has received a little over $193,000 in CARES Act Funding. Superintendent Vincent said they are being opportunistic with the rest of the challenges they face.

Several staff members were lost due to retirement or resignation. Superintendent Vincent said they identified teaching position at the high school and middle school that they could absorb, which will create some savings for DPS. He said three support positions that they had in the budget, but there is no need to bring those positions back.

They will receive $50,000 from those moves. Superintendent Vincent said they could possibly keep the positions that were mentioned, but there is still plenty of unknowns that play a role in that decision as well. He said it was safer to remove those positions for next year in the meantime.

Dewey Public Schools is reported to have a good funding balance. Superintendent Vincent said they can handle other aspects to balancing budget by cutting one-time expenditures that they had in the 2019-2020 school year. He said DPS's fund balance can pick up any remaining reductions it needs to account for next year and handle uncertainty.

Looking toward the future operations for Dewey Public Schools, teams are being developed at the high school, middle school and elementary. Those teams have started to work on plans that focus on what it will look like for them to return to school next year. The goal is to make the return to school as normal as possible.

Superintendent Vincent said this entails looking at every obstacle and challenge they may face. He said sub-teams will also be made to help plan and carry out the returning to school initiative.

The biggest thing Dewey Public Schools will have to face is future shutdowns. Superintendent Vincent said those decisions will be based off of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and the local health department. He said they will plan for as many possible scenarios as they can.

DPS may have to adjust their school calendar, or they may have to keep up and provide a robust learning experience that can occur online. The team meetings will help point out what they might need in the future. He said things may come up in August or September that they didn't account for in June and July. But knowing that, Dewey Public Schools can continue to prepare and remain proactive to face any challenge.

Superintendent Vincent said he hopes DPS will be confident with the direction they are taking by the first week of July. He said they are going to have to transition in July and focus on procuring resources and training staff.