$65 million budget for schools moves to board

Benny Westcott

A $65,236,782 spending plan for Sweet Home’s schools, nearly $10 million dollars more than the current year’s adopted budget of $55,584,273, was approved Monday, May 8, by Budget Committee members.

Committee members, who on this day were composed entirely of School Board members plus Sweet Home resident Lori McKinnon, gave a unanimous stamp of approval to the 2023-24 proposed budget. It will now go before the School Board for approval at its next meeting on June 12.

The budget includes the addition of 1.75 full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching positions at the high school due to expected enrollment growth (Sweet Home’s enrollment grew by almost 1% from the 2019-20 school year to the 2022-23 school year, while statewide enrollment declined by 5.5% iduring that same time period), adding two district-wide counseling positions to help promote student health and wellness, and adding a district-wide teaching position to assist where needed so teachers can participate in class observations and professional development.

The budget also proposes the reassigning of instructional technology responsibilities from an administrative position to a classified position, as the administrator that held this position left the district. As a result, the budget includes a 1 FTE reduction in administrative staffing.

The budget calls for contributing additional funds to the district’s Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) side account to help offset future PERS rate increases.

“We are currently benefiting from some of the lowest PERS rates in the state due to our side account balance, but we are also depleting our side account at a rapid pace,” Supt. Terry Martin said.

In addition, the budget transfers $250,000 to the district’s Long Term Maintenance Fund.

“We may need to utilize these funds to add classroom space if enrollment growth continues,” Martin said. “If not, these funds will be available for future facility improvement projects.”

In the superintendent’s annual budget message, Martin brought up a number of positives in the district.

He said that since 2016, when Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 98, an initiative intended to increase graduation rates and improve high school graduates’ readiness for college and career, Sweet Home High School’s four-year graduation rate has increased from 71.7% to 88.1%. Martin said this figure is “well above” the state average, and marks the highest graduation rate in Linn County among the five school districts with at least 100 graduates.

“Students, staff members, families and our entire community have made graduation a top priority and I am thrilled to see our efforts pay off,” Martin said.

Martin also noted that the district is investing resources in student health and wellness and into providing a well-rounded education. He cited the district’s move to eliminate pay-to-play fees for sports and other extracurricular activities so every student can choose to participate without fees being a barrier.

At Sweet Home Junior High School, 90 students – almost 25% of the school – turned out for the track team this spring. The district has had to hire additional coaches to help support the team, which Martin called a “great problem to have.”

Martin also emphasized that the district “continues to build partnerships that benefit students and the community.”

Through a partnership with Western University, Sweet Home High School students are learning about career opportunities in health care. Through a partnership with the city of Sweet Home, every district student will receive a library card. And through a partnership with multiple community-minded organizations, including the Family Assistance and Resource Center and Sweet Home Rotary Club, high school students built shelters for community members in need of housing.

Addressing concerns, Martin said that one of the greatest challenges for the upcoming school year is recruiting and retaining staff, noting that the district has negotiated salary increases to help it remain competitive with neighboring districts. “However, it remains difficult to find qualified applicants,” Martin said. “Therefore, we are recruiting whenever and wherever we have an opportunity to do so.”

Martin noted that since Sweet Home has a “very modest” tax base that limits the district’s ability to raise funds for facility improvements, the district has pursued grants and other funding sources. Over the past seven years, the district has raised over $17 million for facility improvements without increasing the tax rate. This amount includes a $2.5 million Seismic Retrofit and Improvement grant that the district received from Business Oregon last month to help upgrade Oak Heights Elementary School.

Total
0
Share