The ISD 166 school board approved a levy of $1,063,844 for 2014, the amount of the levy limit, at its last meeting of the year on December 19. This reflects a 1.55 percent increase—$16,243.15—over the 2013 levy and amounts to about 15 percent of the school’s revenue. The school’s share of the taconite credit increased by $13,785.45 to $302,405.90.
Total expenditures for the 2013-14 fiscal year are projected at $7,350,235.01. Salaries and wages comprise 43.6 percent of expenditures, and employee benefits comprise another 13 percent.
In 2012-13, the district had an unassigned general fund balance of 39.5 days’ worth of daily expenditures, which averaged $29,831, close to the 45-day minimum the school board set several years ago. The unassigned general fund balance is expected to be down to 25 days by the end of next June. Declining enrollment has challenged the school’s finances for the last several years. Enrollment projections indicate an average decline of one student a year for the next four years. A December 19 information sheet prepared by Superintendent Beth Schwarz states that as enrollment declines, “we will continue to work on right-sizing our budget, with the intent of having a break-even budget by FY17.”
This year has brought an unexpected increase in special ed needs requiring an increase in staffing and opening an additional special ed room.
Schwarz has been talking to the school board about increasing district office staff after drastic reductions were made over the last couple of years. “We have been trying to transition to a significantly reduced district office staff,” she wrote, “and it is becoming apparent we reduced too far.”
Two pieces of good news may help keep the school afloat. The state now has money to pay back “IOUs” to districts from when it had withheld payments due to severe revenue shortfalls, although districts have had to budget as though the money were there already, requiring some districts to take out loans to cover expenses. In addition, kindergarten students will now be funded on a full-time basis as other grades are.
In other school news:
. The board authorized the school band to start fundraising for a spring 2016 band trip to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Diego. A proposal from Sunshine Travel, which specializes in music and educational group tours, offers visits to Sea World, Mexican Old Town, and the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, Medieval Times, Disneyland and California Adventure in Los Angeles, and a performance by the Blue Man Group in Las Vegas. The cost for the six-day/five-night trip is tentatively listed as low as $1,711 for four-person hotel occupancy if at least 75 people make the trip. The band would hold performances along the way.
Band teacher Kerri Bilben said she looked for a trip that would be affordable and educational. She hopes to have fundraisers that will allow students to serve the community, such as by helping the Lions serve pancakes at a breakfast fundraiser.
Bilben said she is trying to offer a band trip every four years so that students can go once during their high school years. She said she would like kids to be able to experience a different geographical area, because this might be the only opportunity some of them have to travel outside the Midwest during their youth.
. Long-term substitutes are being sought to finish out the year for kindergarten (due to teacher retirement), Ojibwe classes (due to the teacher taking another job), middle school science and English (due to teacher maternity leave), and one paraprofessional. A District 3 (west Grand Marais to Cascade) board member to serve the remainder of Mary Sanders’ term is also being sought.
. Board member Deb White said she had visited a Level IV special education classroom like ISD 166 is looking into providing for students for whom a traditional setting does not work well. “…It’s really exciting,” she said. “This is really going to be great for our kids. …To do it will take some time but it’s going to happen.”
. David Stuart has sent out a letter to about 3,000 nonresident Cook County property owners saying he would no longer be sending out letters outlining the school’s financial needs because he and his wife, JoAnn, are selling their Cook County properties.
Stuart’s letter states that his missives have resulted in gifts to the district totaling $47,000 over the last five years. In the January 2014 Viking Voice school newsletter, Principal Gwen Carman thanked the Stuarts and other nonresident property owners for their generous support through the years.
. Board member Sissy Lunde said she and Superintendent Schwarz met with David Betts and Russell Klegstad of the Cook County Highway Department about dangers from cars parking along Fifth Street in front of the school complex. They discussed a two-hour parking limit from the elementary school parking lot to the tennis courts that might increase use of available spaces in the school lot.
Lunde said Betts and Klegstad said cars parked on snow banks, on sidewalks, or in driving lanes may be towed.
. Superintendent Schwarz reported that with the Cook County Community YMCA starting up, Community Ed would continue to offer sports that are considered “feeder” sports into the district’s varsity athletics program. The Y will take soccer.
The YMCA benefit being offered to employees in union contracts will be the same benefit the district offered employees for Upper Shores Center for Fitness, which was housed in the high school. The school’s corporate membership to the Y will result in employees not having to pay a joiner’s fee, but they will pay the same monthly rates other Y members pay. The school will reimburse those employees $20/month for individual memberships or $30/month for family memberships.
. The school board’s 2014 organizational meeting will be Thursday, January 9 at 5:00 p.m., with community comments 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting.
Leave a Reply