WCS Budget Down $500K For 2011
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Monday afternoon, the school board held a budget work session to hear details of the proposed 2011 budget from Chief Financial Officer Kevin Scott.
He said he will ask the board during its regular monthly meeting Aug. 23 for permission to advertise the proposed 2011 budget. The first publication of the legal notice will be Aug. 27, with the second publication scheduled for Sept. 3.
At 7 p.m. Sept. 8, the school board will have its public hearing on the 2011 budget. The timeline given by Scott sets Sept. 20 as the date for the board to adopt the proposed budget.
The budget includes seven funds. The general fund is the largest and includes such items as payroll and benefits. The other funds are debt service, retirement debt, capital projects, transportation, bus replacement and rainy day. The Department of Local Government Finance has final approval on the budget and its funds.
In creating the 2011 proposed budget, Scott provided about three pages of assumptions. Each of the seven funds had at least several assumptions.
For the general fund, since school funding is based in part of the number of students at each school, Scott said they modestly assumed an increase of 10 students for the 2010-11 school year.
There also has been staff reductions and changes since the state cut all schools' funding by 4.5 percent for 2010. Indiana has seen a decline in its projected revenue stream.
"Our intent was to not increase staffing with the new schools open," Scott said. Instead, staffing was shifted.
For the 2010-11 school year, new Madison and Leesburg schools were built, Jefferson Elementary was renovated and expanded, and Claypool was reopened and renovated.
Thirteen staff members took advantage of an early retirement package this year, Scott said, and Warsaw Schools plans to not fill 10 of those positions.
Scott said they were fortunate WCS was able to cap wages and medical insurance costs for employees.
Under capital projects, one of the assumptions was that the allowable payment of utilities from CPF was capped at the 2007 rate of $1,206,562. Any increase in utility will go 100 percent to the general fund.
The debt service fund contains requirements for all existing long-term debt issues, while the transportation operating fund includes a 5 percent inflationary increase over the prior year for fuel, lubricants, tires and other supplies.
The bus replacement changed to a 12-year cycle in 2009 per a change in state law. In 2011, the transportation department will ask for two 66-passenger conventional buses, Scott said. They also intend to petition the state for three additional buses.
School Board Vice President Dan Robinson said he knew that over the last four to five years, fuel costs have varied, but he wanted to know more information.
Scott said there's been an increase in bus use for extracurricular activities, but only marginally. Schools do not play federal or sales tax on gas. Last month, WCS paid $2.57 per gallon for diesel, with a low of $2.43 per gallon. Currently, WCS is paying about $2.50. Bus drivers pay when they fill up.
Scott said they looked at contracted prices and storing gas, but decided it was not a good option for Warsaw Schools.
Ron Yeiter, board member, asked if, with Claypool reopening, will there be a drop in mileage since there's a school in the south. Scott said that was a great question, but thought it might be offset elsewhere.
Warsaw Schools also has a rainy day fund. Scott said they will be asking the state for authority to spend some of that saved money in 2011 to "make ends meet."
As for numbers, the adopted 2010 budget included a general fund of $46,938,635; debt service, $9,207,554; retirement debt, $543,898; CPF, $8,643,099; transportation, $2,785,240; bus replacement, $546,000; and rainy day, $400,000; for a total of $69,064,426.
The proposed 2011 budget includes a general fund of $43,736,122; debt service, $9,040,560; retirement debt, $539,312; CPF, $9,591,918; transportation, $2,907,385; bus replacement, $717,500; and rainy day, $2 million; for a total of $68,532,797.
The exact change from the 2010 adopted budget to the 2011 proposed budget is minus $531,629, or a decrease of 0.8 percent.
WCS Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz said, "I'm very proud of our staff. What we've managed to do is open an eighth school, half of the schools' inventory is all new, and we have 12 less certified staff."
Yeiter suggested that maybe the Building Trades classes could do work for the school corporation, like constructing athletic press boxes.
Robinson said he suggested that in the early 1990s, and the classes could also build homes for Habitat for Humanity, but his suggestions got a frosty reception at the time.
Scott said that while the 2010-11 school year was already booked, it was a great suggestion for coming years.
Asked how the old Madison and Leesburg elementaries fit into the 2011 budget, Scott said there were minimal utility costs built in for the two schools. He said the school board needs to have a work session to discuss them.
Hintz said that once school settles in and there's an opportunity for the finance committee to meet, he will request a work session with the school board on what to do with the two old schools.[[In-content Ad]]
Monday afternoon, the school board held a budget work session to hear details of the proposed 2011 budget from Chief Financial Officer Kevin Scott.
He said he will ask the board during its regular monthly meeting Aug. 23 for permission to advertise the proposed 2011 budget. The first publication of the legal notice will be Aug. 27, with the second publication scheduled for Sept. 3.
At 7 p.m. Sept. 8, the school board will have its public hearing on the 2011 budget. The timeline given by Scott sets Sept. 20 as the date for the board to adopt the proposed budget.
The budget includes seven funds. The general fund is the largest and includes such items as payroll and benefits. The other funds are debt service, retirement debt, capital projects, transportation, bus replacement and rainy day. The Department of Local Government Finance has final approval on the budget and its funds.
In creating the 2011 proposed budget, Scott provided about three pages of assumptions. Each of the seven funds had at least several assumptions.
For the general fund, since school funding is based in part of the number of students at each school, Scott said they modestly assumed an increase of 10 students for the 2010-11 school year.
There also has been staff reductions and changes since the state cut all schools' funding by 4.5 percent for 2010. Indiana has seen a decline in its projected revenue stream.
"Our intent was to not increase staffing with the new schools open," Scott said. Instead, staffing was shifted.
For the 2010-11 school year, new Madison and Leesburg schools were built, Jefferson Elementary was renovated and expanded, and Claypool was reopened and renovated.
Thirteen staff members took advantage of an early retirement package this year, Scott said, and Warsaw Schools plans to not fill 10 of those positions.
Scott said they were fortunate WCS was able to cap wages and medical insurance costs for employees.
Under capital projects, one of the assumptions was that the allowable payment of utilities from CPF was capped at the 2007 rate of $1,206,562. Any increase in utility will go 100 percent to the general fund.
The debt service fund contains requirements for all existing long-term debt issues, while the transportation operating fund includes a 5 percent inflationary increase over the prior year for fuel, lubricants, tires and other supplies.
The bus replacement changed to a 12-year cycle in 2009 per a change in state law. In 2011, the transportation department will ask for two 66-passenger conventional buses, Scott said. They also intend to petition the state for three additional buses.
School Board Vice President Dan Robinson said he knew that over the last four to five years, fuel costs have varied, but he wanted to know more information.
Scott said there's been an increase in bus use for extracurricular activities, but only marginally. Schools do not play federal or sales tax on gas. Last month, WCS paid $2.57 per gallon for diesel, with a low of $2.43 per gallon. Currently, WCS is paying about $2.50. Bus drivers pay when they fill up.
Scott said they looked at contracted prices and storing gas, but decided it was not a good option for Warsaw Schools.
Ron Yeiter, board member, asked if, with Claypool reopening, will there be a drop in mileage since there's a school in the south. Scott said that was a great question, but thought it might be offset elsewhere.
Warsaw Schools also has a rainy day fund. Scott said they will be asking the state for authority to spend some of that saved money in 2011 to "make ends meet."
As for numbers, the adopted 2010 budget included a general fund of $46,938,635; debt service, $9,207,554; retirement debt, $543,898; CPF, $8,643,099; transportation, $2,785,240; bus replacement, $546,000; and rainy day, $400,000; for a total of $69,064,426.
The proposed 2011 budget includes a general fund of $43,736,122; debt service, $9,040,560; retirement debt, $539,312; CPF, $9,591,918; transportation, $2,907,385; bus replacement, $717,500; and rainy day, $2 million; for a total of $68,532,797.
The exact change from the 2010 adopted budget to the 2011 proposed budget is minus $531,629, or a decrease of 0.8 percent.
WCS Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz said, "I'm very proud of our staff. What we've managed to do is open an eighth school, half of the schools' inventory is all new, and we have 12 less certified staff."
Yeiter suggested that maybe the Building Trades classes could do work for the school corporation, like constructing athletic press boxes.
Robinson said he suggested that in the early 1990s, and the classes could also build homes for Habitat for Humanity, but his suggestions got a frosty reception at the time.
Scott said that while the 2010-11 school year was already booked, it was a great suggestion for coming years.
Asked how the old Madison and Leesburg elementaries fit into the 2011 budget, Scott said there were minimal utility costs built in for the two schools. He said the school board needs to have a work session to discuss them.
Hintz said that once school settles in and there's an opportunity for the finance committee to meet, he will request a work session with the school board on what to do with the two old schools.[[In-content Ad]]
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