With the current economic situation, Rockwood School District has been addressing where to trim its budet. While the district states its main goal is to improve student academic achievement despite the tough economic times, they have reduced the budget by about $3.5 million this year and continue to make cuts.

Rockwood saved around $1.5 million by reducing spending for maintenance projects, and cut back another $500,000 in Finance, Human Resources, Communication and Technology departments. Finally, revisions in curriculum accounted for another $1.5 million budget reduction. So how is the district’s money spent? Here is a breakdown:

The majority of the Rockwood budget, around 73 percent, is spent on Instruction, which includes teachers, counselors and librarians. Textbooks, computers, and supplies for PE and Fine Arts also fall under this category.

Another 11.8  percent is reserved for Buildings and Maintenance. This money is used to maintain, repair and clean the schools. It also provides heat, air conditioning, electricity and security cameras.

Other staff members, including principals and nurses, account for 6.8 percent of this year’s financial plan, which falls under the category of School Support.

A fourth category, Transportation, makes up 4.3 percent of the district’s expenditure. With this money, Rockwood can provide buses to transport students to and from school, and for field trips and other activities.

Lastly, the remaining 4.1 percent is spent on Administration. This includes administrators who recruit teachers and manage human resources. Also in this category are curriculum specialists and finance, technology and communications professionals.

*source Rockwood School District