Thursday, July 19, 2012

USD 383 Board of Education

July 18, 2012
Kathy Dzewaltowski, observer

The board discussed the budget for the 2012-13 school year.  Board members were presented with information regarding projected operating needs resulting from increased student enrollment and larger facilities (e.g. more teachers, bus routes, fuel costs, custodians, maintenance workers, software licenses, etc.).  Assessed valuation was projected to increase by 2.6%, which will mean an increase of available revenue for the district.  Options for financing operating costs included using approximately $620,000 from the contingency reserve fund, reducing the special education fund transfer to $100,000, and increasing the Local Option Budget (LOB) from 25% to 26%.

Board members were presented with two options for the mill levy.  Option 1 would keep the mill levy at its current levels, with the LOB set at 25% and the capital outlay mill levy set at 6.0 mills.  Option 2 would maintain the capital outlay mill levy at 6.0 mills and increase the LOB to 26%.  Increasing the LOB to 26% would increase the property tax on a $180,000 home by $15.  The board's consensus was to use Option 2, and the board directed staff to develop the budget using Option 2.

The board approved the design for the south parking lot at MHS West Campus, the purchase of weight racks for West Campus, replacement of floor tile for Marlatt Elementary, and to do field grading at Northview Elementary to address drainage issues.  

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