Many students seem to have questions about how the school spends its money as a result of the new vending machine. Students also remember the free Warrior t-shirts given to all students last year. However, the school budget policy is more intricate than most students recognize and the concerns students have aren’t always based on facts.
Concerns over h.u.m.a.n. the vending machine are prevalent; however, the school doesn’t actually purchase vending machines.
“Vending machines aren’t things that anybody [at the school] buys,” Assistant Principal Natalie Pramenko said. “They get put in places that are high profile and have a lot of traffic. [The companies] say ‘We’ll give you some of the proceeds from that if you let us put a machine in.’”
Approximately 15-20% of the profits from the new h.u.m.a.n. machine go to the school and are deposited in the student activities account. Two of the cafeteria machines help fund the girls soccer and girls basketball booster clubs and the proceeds from the remaining vending machines also go towards the student activities account.
School funding goes through many steps before it can be used for its ultimate purpose, such as to purchase a white board for a classroom. It can be perplexing to try and understand.
“I’m not well informed on how the school spends its money,” junior Joshua Reed said.
This statement is true for much of the student body, resulting in confusion and even frustration over the choices that the school appears to make.
“What happens is that money comes to Arapahoe in a big chunk, initially from the state,” Pramenko said. “Then those funds are allocated to the district, and then allocated to the different buildings. We could leave it in the big chunk and that money can sit in one account, but we don’t do it that way here.”
Arapahoe’s money is divided into different accounts. The main account covers instruction, which excludes payroll but includes things like supplies and technology. There is a much smaller account for athletics and activities. The money for athletics, however, is not nearly enough to support the teams, hence the needed supplement from booster clubs and fundraising. The student activities account also requires more money from other sources.
“[Student activities] is only supplemented by that pot of money,” Pramenko said. “It’s funded by the vending machines, it’s funded by the pop machines, it’s funded by donations from the community.”
The student activities budget is reserved for giving back to the students, and it is not possible for teacher salaries or anything that does not qualify as “student activities” to come out of the account.
The money set aside for instruction (curriculum, school supplies, etc.) also does not fund teachers’ salaries.
“There are rules on how the money is spent,” Pramenko said. “I can’t use that money to buy a teacher. It’s different money.” It is not possible for each account to be used for anything other than its original purpose.
The administration thinks it’s important for the money from student activities to be used for the student body in some way instead of simply building up large surpluses.
“I didn’t have a problem with [the Warrior t-shirts] because I knew that money was set away and had to go somewhere,” junior Emily Kline said.
The Warrior t-shirts were given to every student free of charge last year (and will continue to be given to new students and incoming freshmen) to help unite the school.
“We can’t let accounts get too big,” Principal Ron Booth said. He said that he preferred that the money be returned to the students.
The student activities budget allows the administration to put the money towards the student body, especially during times of economic hardship.
“We use the student activities budget for identifiable priorities,” Booth said.
“Identifiable priorities” are field trips, guest speakers, the Wind River trip, and even lowering the fees that every student has to pay at the beginning of the year.
The money comes to the school on a “per-pupil” basis, which means that the number of students plays a huge part in how much money the school gets from the state. Colorado gives about $6000 per student.
“We get funded based on our enrollment,” Pramenko said. “Enrollment’s key. We have to have kids. If we don’t have kids, we don’t have the money. If we don’t have kids, we don’t have the teachers. That’s a big piece of it. Our enrollment has been healthy so our budget has been healthy. We can fund our classes. So far we’re in pretty good shape.”