Sean C. Morgan
The proposed 2018-19 budget for the Sweet Home School District includes approximately six new full-time equivalent positions while transferring more than $500,000 into its Long-Term Maintenance Fund.
Supt. Tom Yahraes presented the proposal to the district Budget Committee Monday, May 14.
The budget reflects the district’s new five-year Strategic Plan, Yahraes said in his budget message. “Our community identified the following four priority areas to accomplish our mission: Outstanding academic achievement, thriving citizens, thriving community (and) safe, welcoming facilities and services.”
Yahraes tied each budget highlight in his message to one or more of the priority areas.
Among proposed personnel additions, the district will add a literacy specialist and implement a new elementary language arts curriculum.
The district will hire a new assistant high school cheer coach. A half-time technology position will become full time. A new half-time elementary counseling position will support positive behavior programs.
The Facilities Department will add two new positions to complete construction projects and prepare for upcoming retirements.
The General Fund will pay for the new high school success coordinator. The position, held by Kristin Adams, is evolving from another General Fund position. Adams coordinated the district’s GEAR-UP and ACT programs and focused on college and career readiness. The new position is similar but focused on Measure 98 programs as well as college and career readiness. Formerly a classified position, Adams will be a supervisor beginning next school year.
Measure 98 funds will pay for a new forestry-natural resources teacher, a part-time dropout prevention specialist, a high school secretary and an assessment and graduation coach.
In other areas, funds are set aside to update junior high and high school social studies curriculum.
The district will transfer $100,000 into a new fund to cover future Public Employees Retirement System rate increases.
The budget reflects the district’s grant-funded seismic upgrade projects at Hawthorne, Foster and Holley elementary schools, as well as renovations at the junior and elsewhere through the district, which will be paid for using a bond levy and matching grant funds.
The budget proposes using Long-Term Maintenance funds to upgrade the high school main gym’s sound system and to leverage donated and grant funds to purchase a sound system for the high school auditorium.
Long-Term Maintenance funds will be used to continue asbestos abatement and radon detection and to renovate the front office at Hawthorne School.
The Long-Term Maintenance Fund will receive an infusion of $550,000.
That follows an infusion of $475,000 in one-time funds saved during the current budget year, 2017-18, approved Monday evening by the School Board. The money includes interest savings on a bond paid off early by the district and a favorable final adjustment for the 2016-17 received this month from the State School Fund.
The budget reflects a decrease in the local option property tax that funds the operation of the swimming pool.
“Given the growth in property values, the local option rate could decrease to 28 cents per $1,000 of assessed value and still cover the expected costs for the upcoming year,” Yahraes said. The current rate is 32 cents per $1,000.
Yahraes predicted “modest” enrollment growth next year.
“We expect the incoming kindergarten class to be larger than this year’s senior class. We also anticipate enrollment growth driven by new home construction as families choose to live in our community.”
The district proposes revenues of $25.8 million for the 2018-19 school year, an increase of $1.7 million over the 2017-18 budget and $2.5 million over the actual revenue of 2016-17. The bulk of the revenue is $4.5 million in property taxes and $17.3 million in state funding with $2.5 million in the beginning fund balance, money carried over from the prior year.
Of those revenues, the district plans to carry over $1.5 million.
Personnel expenses include licensed staff salaries, $6.4 million for 119.2 full-time equivalents; classified salaries, $3.2 million for 217.33 FTE; and administration, $1.2 million for 11.6 FTE.
The district will pay $3 million in expenses related to the Public Employees Retirement System expenses, plus $1 million in payments to Social Security and $2.7 million in employee benefits.
The district is planning to pass through $1 million to the Sweet Home Charter School.
Other non-instructional technical and professional services will cost $460,000, and supplies and materials will cost $270,000.
The district includes a number of special funds, including federal programs and grant programs, increasing the total size of the proposed 2018-19 budget to $54.6 million, an increase of $4.3 million. This includes a variety of transfers and internal payments.
Among the special funds is Title I, $661,000, which provides financial assistance to public schools with high numbers of economically disadvantaged children to ensure they meet academic achievement standards.
Nutrition services is proposed at $1.4 million, up from $1.1 million. The program is largely funded by nearly $1 million from federal sources and reimbursements.
Measure 98 programs are held within their own $450,000 fund. The district is calling it the High School Success Grant Revenue fund. The state funds are provided based on voter approval to improve college and career readiness and graduation rates. The new program accounts for 3.5 new FTE, including the new forestry and natural resources program.
The special funds also include portions of $4.5 million in seismic grants provided by the state, including construction at Hawthorne School beginning this summer. Business Manager Kevin Strong included portions of the grant funding for Foster and Holley schools in case those seismic upgrade projects begin in the 2018-19 fiscal year.
The Long-Term Maintenance Fund is included among special funds and will increase from $2 million to $3.1 million in 2018-19.
The Curriculum, Instruction and Technology Fund increases from $425,000 to $675,000, with close to $400,000 earmarked for textbooks and computer hardware at the elementary and junior high schools.
The district will pay $2.3 million in principal and interest for the district’s 2001 bond levy and more than $900,000 in bond and interest payments related to PERS.
The district’s most recent bond levy fund, which will pay for remodeling Sweet Home Junior High, is $8 million.
The Budget Committee elected Don Hopkins chairman.
Present at the meeting were Ben Emmert, Debra Brown, Angela Clegg, Jason Redick, Jim Gourley, Mike Reynolds and Hopkins. Absent were Chanz Keeney, Jason Van Eck, Carol Babcock and Brittany Donnell.
The School Board and up to nine members of the community serve as the district’s Budget Committee. It currently has seven vacant positions. Those interested in serving on the Budget Committee should contact the School District at (541) 367-7126 for more information.
The Budget Committee will meet next at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 17, in the District Board Room.