Let the number crunching begin--

The MNPS proposed budget is now out there for review. And heavy review it should get.

You can download .pdf versions of the budget, their comparison of last year's to this proposal and the PowerPoint presentation from the MNPS website: http://www.mnps.org/site3.aspx

If you don't have MS PowerPoint on your computer download Open Office (free) and their Impress will do the job for you.

The MNPS blurb about the budget does start by saying it's a 2.58% increase but quickly uses the word "cuts". It's new math, I suppose, that allows an increase to be a cut.

"The proposed budget totals $556,250,500, and reflects an increase of 2.58 percent from the 2005-2006 operating budget, which totaled $542,250,000. It includes cuts to staff, programs and materials throughout the district, with some new elements to improve academic achievement. "

It's more than half a billion dollars. We could buy a new convention center with all that money.

Maybe next year they'll publish this as an Excel file so we can actually manipulate the numbers. Happy reading everyone.

Where'd I put that extra roll of calculator tape?