District Budget and Finance

By Karen (Johnson) Hemphill

By 2007, the Superintendent projects that the District will not be able to balance its budget and will be again in a deficit due to declining enrollment and increasing costs. As Assistant to the Emeryville City Manager, I have extensive budget and finance experience.

As the Assistant to the Emeryville City Manager, I have extensive budget and finance experience. I also have been responsible for reviewing organizational effectiveness and efficiency. I have brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside private and public funds, working with public agencies and the business community. And, through my current position as well as being a former Berkeley City Council aide, I have established relationships with our city, county, state, and federal elected representatives + that can form the basis for expanding government and resources available to help our children succeed.

I also will work with the Superintendent to develop a more community-friendly budget that clearly outlines and describes the District's operational (day to day, mostly teacher salaries and including our Berkeley school tax measure) budget, capital improvement (construction) budget, categorical funds (for example: for targeted money for children with special education needs, for children from low-income families, for children that are English-learners, or children identified as gifted and talented, grant monies and other funds.