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The Orion school district is not looking at staff reductions in the spring, Superintendent David Deets told the school boar.
Attrition and retirement will account for any reductions, he said at the board's regular meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
Deets projects a balanced budget for 2011-12.
“The sacrifices two years ago are helping,” he said.
One of the funds that has worried district officials in the recent past is showing signs of health.
“The operations and maintenance fund should be okay by the end of the year, and not need a loan from working cash,” he said.
“A mild winter helps with heating bills,” Coal Valley resident Vicki Tennant commented.
The board approved a tax levy of $5.4 million in 2012, an increase of $105,627 from 2011.
Board members based the increase on Deets’ best estimate that the assessed value of property in the school district will go up 3 percent.
Most of the money, $3.7 million, will go into the educational fund, with $638,000 earmarked for operations and maintenance, $255,000 for transportation and $64,000 for operations and maintenance.
Those are the four main operating funds the school district has. At the end of the year, Deets expects them to have a $94,045 surplus.
Because of the increase in property values, Deets expects the tax rate to go down 5.74 cents per $100 of assessed value.
The owner of a home valued at $120,000 both this year and next year will pay $22.96 less in 2012. Only if the assessed value goes up will the homeowner pay more.
Deets gave the school board a review of expenditures from July through November.
The district was planning to make 42 percent of its expenditures in those five months, and actually spent 43 percent, he said.
“Transportation is a little high, I am not sure why,” Deets said.
Expenditures in those five months tallied $4.5 million in a $10.5 million budget, Deets told the board.
Over the same period, the district received 49 percent of anticipated revenue, the superintendent said.
“Revenue flow is out of our hands,” Deets said. “We can control expenditures. State funding is still a question.”
Orion may not receive all of the transportation payments from the state.
Fund balances are healthy, he said.
“Health and life safety is a little out of whack because we’re still dealing with the roof projects (at C.R. Hanna and Orion High School),” Deets said. “We will deplete health and life safety because the final bills are coming.”
The health and life safety fund is intended to be used up, the superintendent said. About $67,000 comes into the fund every year.
The Orion school district is not looking at staff reductions in the spring, Superintendent David Deets told the school boar.
Attrition and retirement will account for any reductions, he said at the board's regular meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
Deets projects a balanced budget for 2011-12.
“The sacrifices two years ago are helping,” he said.
One of the funds that has worried district officials in the recent past is showing signs of health.
“The operations and maintenance fund should be okay by the end of the year, and not need a loan from working cash,” he said.
“A mild winter helps with heating bills,” Coal Valley resident Vicki Tennant commented.
The board approved a tax levy of $5.4 million in 2012, an increase of $105,627 from 2011.
Board members based the increase on Deets’ best estimate that the assessed value of property in the school district will go up 3 percent.
Most of the money, $3.7 million, will go into the educational fund, with $638,000 earmarked for operations and maintenance, $255,000 for transportation and $64,000 for operations and maintenance.
Those are the four main operating funds the school district has. At the end of the year, Deets expects them to have a $94,045 surplus.
Because of the increase in property values, Deets expects the tax rate to go down 5.74 cents per $100 of assessed value.
The owner of a home valued at $120,000 both this year and next year will pay $22.96 less in 2012. Only if the assessed value goes up will the homeowner pay more.
Deets gave the school board a review of expenditures from July through November.
The district was planning to make 42 percent of its expenditures in those five months, and actually spent 43 percent, he said.
“Transportation is a little high, I am not sure why,” Deets said.
Expenditures in those five months tallied $4.5 million in a $10.5 million budget, Deets told the board.
Over the same period, the district received 49 percent of anticipated revenue, the superintendent said.
“Revenue flow is out of our hands,” Deets said. “We can control expenditures. State funding is still a question.”
Orion may not receive all of the transportation payments from the state.
Fund balances are healthy, he said.
“Health and life safety is a little out of whack because we’re still dealing with the roof projects (at C.R. Hanna and Orion High School),” Deets said. “We will deplete health and life safety because the final bills are coming.”
The health and life safety fund is intended to be used up, the superintendent said. About $67,000 comes into the fund every year.
Some districts strapped for cash are depleting their working cash funds, but Orion has not touched its working cash in the last two years, Deets said.
Snow removal, lawn care
The board discussed replacing lawn care and snow removal equipment, which Deets would like to see happen as soon as possible.
If the district does not replace the equipment, it will have to start spending a lot of money on maintaining it, the superintendent told the board.
“Our lawn equipment is beat to a pulp,” board president Doug Nelson said. “We mow 43 acres, or 1,300 acres a year.
A lot of the district’s equipment is 10 to 15 years old, Nelson said. It is going to cost $15,000 a year to keep it repaired.
Last year, when the area had a lot of snow, the district probably saved $8,000 to $10,000 by using its own equipment instead of hiring someone, Deets said.
The district would be prudent by putting out bids for equipment, Nelson said.
Board members reviewed estimates from three John Deere dealers, which ranged from $61,000 to $65,000, and an International Harvester dealer, $65,000.
The figures included trade-in values for district equipment.
Board members took no action.
In other business
• Depending how its finances look for the rest of the year, the district may upgrade security equipment at C.R. Hanna Elementary School and Orion High School, Deets said.
• OMS principal Tiffany Springer said teachers are going to conferences to learn how to help students improve their writing scores on standardized tests.
They will share what they learn at an inservice program for kindergarten through eighth grade teachers.
DeBaillie said OHS English teachers had just gone to a conference on writing.
• OMS students now can formally request assistance from teachers when they need help with their work, Springer said.
• The OMS teachers have received clipboards with emergency plans to post next to classroom doors, Springer said. Teachers have emergency phones.
• C.R. Hanna students and staff raised $2,300 for Pennies for Patients, a program of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, according to Principal R.C. Lowe. The goal was $400.
“It’s overwhelming to see the generosity of the community,” Lowe said.
School social worker Melissa McCullough coordinated the effort.
• C.R. Hanna staff discovered an error in scoring standardized tests and reported it to the company, Lowe said. The tests will be scored again, and some parents will be upset because their children’s new scores will be lower.
• The board accepted the resignation of Orion Middle School secretary and yearbook sponsor Denise Brokaw at the end of June. She plans to come back occasionally as a substitute.
• Bus driver Richard Secor, OHS head golf coach Chuck Dhabalt and spring athletic groundskeeper Ben Coe all resigned.
• The board hired Brooke Ashcraft as spirit squad sponsor and Brandon Oelmann as sophomore baseball coach
• Board members agreed to add more hours to Kelly Kolls’ position as an aide at C.R. Hanna.
• Brittany Scott was approved as a volunteer coach with the OMS girls basketball program.
• Larry Atkinson reviewed training that is now required for school board members.
