News that the state is projecting a $4.8 billion deficit for the next two years has prompted the Anoka-Hennepin School Board to make cuts in programs and services of $15.8 million for 2009-10 and plan another $18 million in 2010-11.

The School Board held two public meetings in January 2009 to get citizen comment on potential cuts.

• Click here to view the presentation presented at the hearings
• Click here to download the Jan. 13, 2009 hearing citizen input transcript
• Click here to download the Jan. 21, 2009 hearing citizen input transcript

As in the past, citizen comments helped shape the board's budget decisions.

• Click here for a list of cuts
• Click here for the complete news story on the cuts

Click on the document or presentation title or website link to download or access website. Dates indicate when an item was initially presented.

Important Documents
January 2009
• Budget briefing update
• Jan. 13 hearing comments
• Jan. 21 hearing comments
• Budget presentation

February 2009
• Feb. 03 key budget messages
• Feb. 10 key budget messages

With the state's bleak economic forecast, the district changed its projections, the district is assuming it will receive no state aid increase next year or the following year. In fact, it will likely receive less state money next year than this year. This is due to the loss of one-time aid allocated to districts this year to help offset inflation plus revenue loss due to declining enrollment.

It appears the district will face a budget deficit of $18.5 million next year. The board plans to cut $15 million in programs and services to offset that loss. The remaining $3.5 million of the deficit will be covered by the district's projected fund balance. As a result, the fund balance will fall to just over 1 percent of annual expenditures, which is considerably less than the board's goal of maintaining a five percent fund balance.