Sean C. Morgan
School District 55 Business Manager Kevin Strong reported to the School Board and Budget Committee that the district will see an estimated increase of $750,000 to $1 million in funding for the 2014-15 school year.
He reported the news during a work session held on Feb. 24. The work session served as an orientation session for the budget process this spring.
The state hasn’t published forecasts for next year yet, Strong said, but in general, district officials expect additional funding next year although they don’t know how much.
The anticipated funding includes the additional money from last fall’s special state legislative session that was directed toward education, Strong said. The district will receive the funding in the second year of the biennium.
In the future, that particular funding may be spread across both years of the biennium, Strong said, so it may be partially a one-time bump in funding.
The state also faces lawsuits over Public Employees Retirement System reforms, Strong said. Some of the revenue the district is anticipating is the result of savings from PERS reform.
While additional revenue will arrive next school year, the district must plan to implement all-day kindergarten the following year, 2015-16, Strong said.
On the positive side, property values are rising again nationwide, Strong said.
Strong asked the five board members and nine staff members at the meeting to rank their preferences for using additional funding in 2014-15.
At the top of both priority lists of 11 items were buses, Strong said. The district has 11 buses that are 6 to 10 years old, 16 that are 11 to 15 years old and six that are 16 to 20 years old.
The board members ranked two new elementary teachers to reduce class sizes and two specialists higher in the list, while staff members preferred improving technology, bolstering long-term maintenance, paying for pressing building needs and additional funding to offset early retirement liabilities.
Both groups ranked phone system improvements near the top, at second for staff and third for board members, while the board members ranked a new elementary teacher at number two.
In other business:
n The board approved two new school days to make up for lost snow days in February. School will be in session on Friday, March 14, and May 2. The March 14 professional development day was rescheduled to March 7, and May 2 was a regular day off for students and teachers.
The district has already made up one of the five total snow days this year.
n Supt. Don Schrader gave a presentation on the district’s status regarding D22 standards, a list of 52 programs the district is required by Oregon administrative rules to operate, ranging from health, pregnancy and drug and alcohol programs to literacy and extended diplomas.
The district is in compliance in all of the areas, Schrader said. He is required, by state law, to report to the board on the standards each year.
The board also discussed the district’s continuous improvement plan.
n The board outlined a schedule for the superintendent’s evaluation.
On March 10, the board will discuss board goals and the evaluation and receive the superintendent’s evaluation plan, Schrader said. In April, he will provide the board with evidence of meeting goals. Board members will take that home and then evaluate the superintendent.
In May, the board will present and review the evaluation.
n No budget committee members were present during the meeting. Schrader noted that the current members may be adequately familiar with the process. Five board members were present, including Leena Ellis, Mike Reynolds, Chanz Keeney, Jason Redick and Dale Keene. Absent were David VanDerlip, Kevin Burger and Jenny Daniels.
The Budget Committee includes the board and four community members. Right now, it has five vacancies, and the board has a single vacancy.
Anyone interested in serving on the board or the Budget Committee should call the superintendent’s office at (541) 367-7126.