Warsaw School Board Sees Budget, Names Chief Academic Officer
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
No members of the public appeared Wednesday night at the Warsaw Community School 2012 budget public hearing.
The meeting also gave Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz the opportunity to recommend David Hoffert as the corporation’s new chief academic officer, which the board unanimously approved.
During the public hearing, Chief Financial Officer Kevin Scott went over the state budget framework, budget development process and highlights of each fund.
The total for the proposed 2012 budget is $69,632,074, a 1.4 percent increase over the adopted 2011 budget of $68,663,717.
The total budget includes $44,991,034 for the General Fund and Preschool; $8,683,274 for the Debt Service Fund; $543,931 for Retirement/Severance Debt Service Fund; $9,980,510 for the Capital Projects Fund; $3,099,325 for the Transportation Fund; $834,000 for Bus Replacement Fund; and $1.5 million for Rainy Day Fund.
Scott will ask the board to approve the 2012 budget at its regular meeting Sept. 19.
At the end of the public hearing, board member Dan Metzger asked if anything in the budget would affect local taxes as far as raising property taxes.
Scott replied he didn’t think tax rates will go up this year. He said they conservatively budget.
“I believe the tax rate in 2012 actually will be flat or down,” Scott said.
One of the factors that influences how much money schools get from the state for the General Fund is enrollment, including free and reduced lunch students.
In 2005, 34.98 percent of Warsaw Schools students were free or reduced lunch students. That has increased every year since then, hitting 39.95 percent in 2007; 44.12 percent in 2008; and 50.07 percent in 2011.
“There are folks out there having a hard time making their bills,” Scott said.
Metzger asked what the earning threshold was for a family to qualify and if the state set the threshold.
The state sets it and provides a chart for free and reduced lunches, Scott said. It all runs through food service.
“The food service director told me that for the first time in her memory, the high school hit 40 percent,” Scott said.
In recommending Hoffert as the chief academics officer, Hintz said the position isn’t a new one. The title for the position is new, but the school corporation has had the position for many years.
Chris Gensinger filled the position in 2008 under previous superintendent Dr. Rob Haworth. When Haworth left, Gensinger served as assistant to the superintendent. Ralph Bailey served as interim superintendent until Hintz was named as superintendent in 2009. Gensinger eventually returned to Eisenhower Elementary School as principal, and the CAO position went unfilled.
Hintz said he left the CAO position open for a year to allow him to take a good look at how the school corporation functioned in the past and how it will function in the future.
When Hintz came to Warsaw in 2009, he said the school system had 36 administrators with a total salary of $2,775,000. As of July 1, there are now 33 administrators with a total salary of $2,634,000, including that of the CAO. Over two years, the school corporation has saved about $140,000 with the reduction of three administrators.
Board Vice President Dan Robinson said those 33 administrators include all the building principals, assistant principals and the athletic director, not just administrators at the central office.
Hoffert will receive an annual salary of $85,000 for 260 days of service. He begins his duties Monday.
Hintz said he didn’t believe they are overstaffed. WCS is a $70 million business with about 1,100 total staff. There are about 6,983 students in Warsaw schools.
The hiring of Hoffert has been a transparent process, Hintz said. Fifteen people applied for the position originally.
Hoffert served as principal at Northfield Junior-Senior High, Wabash, from 2009 to present. From 2002 to 2009, he was a social studies teacher at Warsaw Community High School. Also, from 2004 to 2009, he was an education methods professor at Grace College and Seminary, Winona Lake.
He received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education at Anderson University, his master’s degree of education in curriculum and instruction from Olivet Nazarene University and his principal licensure program at Indiana Wesleyan University.
Given an opportunity to speak to the board, Hoffert said, “Thank you for this opportunity. Warsaw Community Schools means a lot to myself and my family.”
He said serving the school corporation was very humbling to him. He thanked the board for approving him and said, “it’s good to be home.”
Hintz told Hoffert, “We have a lot of work to do and we’re excited to have you on board.”
