School seeking override for K-3<br>

“If the override doesn’t pass, we won’t be able to provide these services, although we will try to continue our all-day kindergarten for those students who are most in need of that program, most of whom are ELL students.” said Breen.

Two overrides are currently in place – a 10 percent override passed in November 2002 and a special override approved in March 2003.

Under the 10 percent override, the district can increase the budget by 10 percent of the revenue control limit, which at Grand Canyon School is $1.752 million. It went into effect in FY 2004 and generates another $170,000 annually for the district for five years. In the override’s sixth year that amount is reduced by a third and in the seventh and final year, it is reduced by two-thirds.

“The special override was passed as a contingency measure in case the enrollment in the high school exceeded 100 students and the budget had to be reduced,” Breen said.

Under state law, schools with high school enrollment under 100 are classified as small schools and aren’t subject to the Revenue Control Limit. Under the special override, the district would be permitted to budget $302,000 above the RCL that would go into effect once average daily high school enrollment exceeded 100 students. That happened last November.

Without the override, the district would have had to cut its budget by about $660,000, but with the special override and the 10 percent override, budget reductions came to only about $200,000.

That override will be in effect for five years.

Anyone wishing to submit a pro or con statement to the county regarding the override is invited to do so. Statements will be included in a publicity pamphlet that will be mailed to households within the

Statements must not exceed 200 words and should include the author’s name, address, telephone number and whether the name can be printed in the information pamphlet.

Deadline for statements is 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20. They should be sent to the Coconino County School Superintendent’s Office, 110 East Cherry Ave., Flagstaff, Ariz., 86002 or hand-deliver to the Coconino County Superintendent’s Office, 121 East Birch Ave., Flagstaff.

For more information on the pamphlet, call 928-779-6594. For more information on the override, call the Grand Canyon Unified School District at 638-2461.