Distribution of school expenses at MVHS – Oracle

The MVLA district has approved over $140 million in funding for MVHS and LAHS for the 2024-25 school year, but where is the money actually going?

Making up the majority of the MVLA budget, employee salaries account for 83%, or $117 million, of the district’s expenses. This includes the salaries of teachers and other employees as well as employee benefits.

“The [rest of the] The rest then falls to other services and operations and books and materials for the school district,” said Sanjay Dave, director of the board of trustees.

According to the MVLA 2024-25 budget plan, the remaining $20 million is earmarked for services, capital expenditures, operating expenses and other miscellaneous costs.

“There’s sewer costs, there’s water, there’s all of that [costs] just to literally turn the lights on,” said Mike Mathesian, associate superintendent of business services. “There are maintenance costs to keep the campus looking nice.”

MVLA also receives certain amounts of money from the government, which provides a predetermined location.

“We do get some money from the federal government, and that’s usually for certain programs, especially special education,” said Elvis Lopez, director of financial services.

At the MVHS, Rector Dr. Kip Glazer the site assignment assigned to her by the district. The site allocation, which Glazer considers a “teaching budget,” is based on two primary factors: the department’s needs and the funding source.

“I want to respond to the department and their requests so they can fulfill their mission of serving students,” Glazer said.

These expenses cover the cost of a variety of classroom supplies, from calculators for math classes to safety equipment for science classes.

“The sciences have about 20 percent of what I consider a teaching budget,” Glazer said. “Visual Performing Arts comes in at about another 25 percent.”

Ultimately, the library and athletics departments each receive about 10% of the budget, with the remainder distributed among other departments as needed.

“That doesn’t mean it’s a fixed budget for the year,” Glazer said. “[Departments] I have additional requests throughout the year and I look at it to make sure there are resources available to them.”

On the other hand, the funding source also has a say in how the money they provide is used.

“When athletic supporters give me money, they say, ‘We want this to benefit athletics,'” Glazer said.

Glazer and her administrative assistant, Joanna Plymale, also control other miscellaneous expenses, Glazer said.

“We receive reconciliation reports every month to make sure we are actually spending the money we should be spending,” Glazer said. “I just want parents, students and staff to know that the administration is committed to making sure every dollar is spent wisely.”