The Southern Boone School Board could have a new member or it could continue with its same board at their April 10 meeting. Regardless, the school board has made a commitment to Superintendent Chris Felmlee’s plan to hire 10.5 teaching positions for the next school year.
If you think school board members are concerned about adding more than $521,000 to the payroll, you should talk to Felmlee. The superintendent is as worried as anyone.
“I’m incredibly worried,” Felmlee said.
What keeps the superintendent up at night is where the state will come in with school funding – not known until June after the school district’s budget is approved – as well as how much additional revenue the district will receive from additional property tax for the next school year.
“We are between a rock and a hard spot,” Felmlee said. “It is going to be a very, very tight budget.”
The school district has grown its reserves up to 22% in the past four years, but the early look of Felmlee’s 2017-18 budget has the district in deficit spending and taking the reserves down to 11- or 12- percent.
“We are about a million dollars short towards a balanced budget,” Felmlee said, “but we also know that classrooms of 25-30 kids is unacceptable to the me, the administration and the community. Hopefully when we get to the assessed valuation, we will show a higher percentage of growth and it will all come together.”
Felmlee’s initial budget did not reflect any cuts and included a $500 increase to the base pay of all teachers.
However, veteran board member Joe Miller said it is important to remember that the district is not in a budget panic.
~ Read the rest of the story in today’s Journal ~
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