Sean C. Morgan
Facing a sustained reduction in enrollment at the high school level, the Sweet Home School District will cut one teaching position through attrition in 2016-17.
Supt. Keith Winslow explained highlights of the proposed 2016-17 budget for the district in his budget message Monday night as the Budget Committee received copies of the proposed budget.
Winslow said the district hasn’t decided which position it would be yet. Splitting an art teacher’s time between the junior high and high school is one possibility as well as a Spanish position.
Several students and a parent appeared Monday night before the School Board during its regular meeting to urge the board not to cut Spanish.
“We expect enrollment at district-operated schools to to be smaller next year,” Winslow said. “The most noticeable change will occur at the High School following the graduation of this year’s senior class, which has been the largest class in the district. Next year’s high school enrollment is expected to remain below 700 students throughout the year for the first time this century.”
Unless a large number of new students move into the area, Winslow said, high school enrollment will remain below 700 students for the foreseeable future.
The proposed budget maintains the all-day kindergarten, additional elementary school counseling and the full-time school resource police officer added in the current 2015-16 budget. The cost of the police officer is split between the district and city, approximately $42,000.
The budget continues to address maintenance needs to further improve wireless technology infrastructure throughout the district and to replace two trip buses, Winslow said. One bus is 17 years old and has 187,000 miles on it. The other is 15 years old and has traveled 172,000 miles. Replacement prices are between $120,000 and $133,000 each.
The budget includes a reduction of $250,000 in expenses for the Access College Today program, also called the fifth-year program.
“The state has implemented rule changes for fifth-year programs that significantly reduce the number of students that can qualify,” Winslow said. “In the long term, this will reduce our state revenue since we can no longer claim these students. However, we will receive a one-year reprieve since the state school fund pays based on the higher of current year or prior year enrollment.”
The state has awarded a $1.4 million grant to pay for seismic upgrades to the High School auditorium, Winslow said. The grant will pay for upgrades to life safety standards.
“We expect to begin the project during the upcoming fiscal year and complete the project in the 2017-18 fiscal year,” Winslow said. “The budget assumes $500,000 of the work will take place during the upcoming fiscal year (2016-17).
“The district has also committed $25,000 in funds toward non-structural auditorium improvements. With community support, we are hopeful we can raise additional funds for cosmetic upgrades and sound system improvements. When the work is complete, we would like to have a safe and inviting facility that students and community members will take pride in for decades to come.”
In other areas of the budget, the district has set aside funds to match a grant to support a youth transition program for disabled students seeking employment opportunities. The district is budgeting $18,000 and will receive $2 in grant funds for each dollar spent.
The district will reinstate the student services director position, which oversees special education and TAG programs, to full time. The position has been half-time for several years.
The budget sets aside funds to implement a random drug testing program for high school students participating in athletics, Winslow said. The cost is approximately $3,000.
“Schools that have implemented similar drug testing programs have told us that doing so helps students withstand peer pressure and feel proud of their team.”
The School Board is currently considering a policy proposal to create the program.
The district is planning to begin the 2016-17 fiscal year with a beginning fund balance of 7 to 8 percent of total General Fund revenues, Winslow said. It will finish 2016-17 with an ending fund balance of at least 5 percent of General Fund revenues. If necessary, to ensure this, it can reduce fund transfers, like a planned $350,000 transfer to long-term maintenance.
Overall, the proposed General Fund is $22.7 million, up from $22 million this year, 2015-16. It is funded primarily by about $4 million in property taxes and $15.8 million from the State School Fund.
The district will begin the year with carryover of about $1.6 million.
Including all funds, the district budget will reach $36.7 million this year. The total includes retirement debt service funds, general obligation bond debt service, long-term maintenance, Title I programs and nutrition services. Debt service accounts for more than $6.5 million. Long-term maintenance has accrued approximately $1.15 million. Nutrition services is proposed at about $976,000, and Title I is proposed at $761,000. Title I funds are distributed to school districts to improve the academic achievement of disadvantaged students.
Present at the meeting were board members Chanz Keeney, Angela Clegg, Debra Brown, Carol Babcock, Nick Augsburger and Board Chairman Mike Reynolds; committee Chairman Kyle Sullens; and committee members Kevin Pettner, Brittany Donnell and Miriam Hooley.
Absent were board members Jason Van Eck, Jason Redick and Jenny Daniels and committee members Gerritt Schaffer and Jocelyn Gordon.
The Budget Committee will meet again at 6 p.m. on Monday in the School Board room.