Denver’s school board unanimously approved its $800 million 2010-11 budget on the last day of the fiscal year as required by state law, but not without drama.
Before voting for the budget, board members squabbled over the district’s contributions to its retirement plan.
Three board members said they feared the district is underfunding its pension plan and that could put the district in peril later.
Board member Jeannie Kaplan said the pension plan is being underfunded by more than $70 million a year and could put the district in the hole for $369 million by 2015.
“The bottom line, I am worried how this will affect our classrooms,” she said.
DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg said contributions are set by the legislature and already built into the budget. He disagreed with Kaplan’s figures: “Her figures are completely made up and false.”
Board member Bruce Hoyt said districts throughout the country are facing long-term pension problems but noted that Denver’s plan is 88 percent funded.
“That’s not ideal, but we are in much better shape than most pensions around the country,” he said.
Board member Theresa Peña said Denver is in much better position financially than other districts, hiring teachers, adding sports and arts programs and growing its enrollment.
“This feels like a huge digression,” she said. “The longer this board derails the conversation for whatever political or personal purposes, (it’s) going to do great harm.”
In other action, the board approved three new schools for the 2011-12 school year: Denver School of International Studies, University Preparatory Academy charter school and SOAR Charter School.
The board also approved a $5 million purchase of the old Denver Lutheran High School in southwest Denver for future uses.
And the board OK’d innovation proposals by Martin Luther King Jr. Early College and Whittier Elementary.
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
