Proposed expenditures for fiscal year 2015 are slated to be $5,771,866 for School District 166 according to a report presented by Superintendent Beth Schwarz at the March 20, 2014 School Board meeting. The annual expenditures for the four years prior averaged $4,884,932. The 2015 figure however includes $380,000 for expense items that were not included in the prior years’ average. Even excluding those items, the expenditure budget is 10 percent higher than the average of the previous four years.
The district currently spends an average of $29,419.04 per day of operation.
Budgeted revenues on the other hand are just three percent higher than the four-year average. Revenues for 2015 are expected to be $5,535,682. The figures do not include $990,000 in taconite aid, which is earmarked for capital expenditures, the largest of which will be $600,000 to be used toward the Industrial Arts expansion.
School Board Chair Jeanne Anderson spoke against the deficit budget, “I am very concerned about our budget, and very concerned that expenditures have gone over revenues.” In other school board business
Also discussed were the June 30, 2015 projected balances of several funds, some of which will also be operating in the red. The Unreserved General Fund is expected to decrease by over $200,000 to $651,277.
The Capital Fund balance is anticipated to be negative $179,732, of which $60,996 is for Health and Safety expenses that will eventually be reimbursed.
The Food Service Fund will decrease to negative $7,252.
While the Community Education fund is anticipated to be negative $41,327, it is improving from a prior deficit of $58,670 that was projected for June 30, 2014.
Overall, these fund balances are expected to drop to $741,630 from $1,091,068.
Superintendent Schwarz did note that none of these are concrete numbers and are just preliminary. She also added that the district is allowed to carry fund deficits up to three years or longer as long as they are showing progress.
School calendar set for 2014-15
The board voted to approve the school calendar for the 2014-15 school year. The calendar includes 160 student days. Even though the district has scheduled more than enough instructional hours over the course of the school year, the state requires a minimum of 165 student days. Board Members Ed Bolstad, Deb White, and Ann Sullivan voted to approve the calendar while Anderson was the lone dissenting vote against accepting it. Member Sissy Lunde was not present. Schwarz continues to work with the legislature to obtain an exception for ISD 166.
Jane Mianowski Conference Center dedicated
The Jane Mianowski Conference Center in the Arrowhead Center for the Arts was officially dedicated with a presentation to Jane’s husband Walt Mianowski and her son John. Jane was a former math teacher and school board member.
In acceptance of the honor for her, Walt reflected, “I was thinking of all the years Jane was a teacher here. I believe she was the first computer teacher on the Shore. I remember a corner at home with the old IBM Teletype. I have a lot of fond memories. She was a great woman. She was a great teacher. She loved teaching.”
* Principal Adam Nelson spoke about added opportunities for welding training and certification that will be available because of the Industrial Arts expansion. These opportunities may also extend to community higher education classes. Nelson asserted, “A student needs to be very motivated to get a welding certificate prior to graduation, but it can be accomplished.”
* Superintendent Schwarz discussed the building of an Alternative Learning Center that the district intends to pursue. They are currently looking at two different properties for that purpose. She added that it does not appear this will take place until September 2015.
* Several personnel items were discussed and approved. Cara Price was hired as a new District Office administrative assistant. Resignations were accepted from faculty member, Sam West and Administrative Assistant, Sally Deschampe, who has been with the district for 11 years. The retirements of longtime faculty members Ann Hegg and Randy Davis were also accepted.
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