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School finances are not a pleasant topic these days as further shown at the Panorama school board meeting Monday evening.
Presently schools are slated to receive 1.0 percent less in state aid this fiscal year. Now, because of the state budget crisis, Supt. Kathy Elliott reported "word on the street" is state aid next year could be the same as this year or even less. It was projected earlier the school will lose $369,474 in state aid this fiscal year.
Plus, Panorama's enrollment this year was down 34.5 students for budget purposes, which is a negative factor for next year's budget, as state aid is based on the number of students. Added to this is the news the school started the new fiscal year some $150,000 in the red.
Elliott noted salaries make up over 80 percent of the general fund budget. For this reason she is trying to reduce overtime hours (primarily for custodians) and substitute teacher costs which run $100,000 annually.
Larry Sigel of the Iowa School Financed Information Services predicts tough future times for schools, Elliott reported. He recommends schools develop a three-year plan due to the uncertainty of available funding.
The board will hold a budget workshop December 7. Board Action
Following a public hearing in which no one appeared, the board voted to continue the Instructional Support Levy for another five years beginning with the 2010-11 school year. This is a combination property tax and income tax surcharge, bringing in about $400,000 annually. The board also voted to continue using ISCAP (Iowa School Cash Anticipation Program), a service of the Iowa Association of School Boards, which provides funding during times of cash flow problems. Also, ISCAP must be assured the school is taking steps to enhance revenue or decrease expenditures.
An updated policy and fee schedule for community use of the facilities was approved. Elliott stressed the school is just trying to cover costs, not make a profit. Construction bills totaling $771,550 were paid. The charge for adult lunches was raised from $2.25 to $3.00 effective November 16 to meet expenses. Also, the number of free adult staff meals (43 percent) will be curtailed as a budget move.
Reports
Supt. Elliott reported she is working on securing a preschool grant to be used possibly for transportation.
The lights for the parking lots were to have been shipped Monday and the city's transformer shipped Wednesday. Lights are needed by November 30 for the first home basketball game. Footings are being poured at the construction site. Elliott said she is kept busy with construction details. She's asked the school's consultant for an update on the construction budget.
High school principal Dean Schnoes reported parent-teacher conferences are November 19. The district FCCLA meeting is here November 23. He visited the Van Meter school where every student in grades 7-12 has a computer. He liked the paperless approach. Veterans Day programs were held November 11. The first quarter honor roll contained 53 percent of the freshman, 67 percent of sophomores, 63 percent of juniors and 51 percent of seniors.
Mark Johnston, middle school principal, said the week of October 19 was Character Counts Week with special activities held along with a guest speaker. Individual reading and math goals for each student have been set. He attended a technology workshop at Iowa State University. In addition to current efforts to give special aid, a "Focus on Four" initiative will be starting. Teachers will work individually with up to four students not proficient in reading.
Elementary principal Cory Heiman gave the board a copy of the his November newsletter. He's participating in CRISS Train the Trainer development November 9-12. Parent-teacher conferences had 96 percent attendance. He gave a synopsis of Ruby Payne's book "A Framework for Understanding Poverty," which will be implemented into staff training. The fifth grade concert is November 23.
Mary Breyfogle, school improvement coordinator, explained the "Differentiation" process. The is a way of teaching in which teachers address the needs of individual students or small groups of students. Middle school science teacher Deb Smith demonstrated how she uses Differentiation to teach the metric system. Faculty members have been receiving training in Differentiation for several years.
Panorama Foundation officers Laura Koch and Elaine Belzer said this group provided some $3,000 in teacher grants the past year. Also, more members are needed to comply with the foundation's bylaws. Board members will recruit individuals to serve.
Also - Board member Tom Arganbright will be the school's representative on the county conference board. Jason Kirtley resigned as assistant high school and junior high wrestling coaches as he is now the head high school wrestling coach. A total of 13,983 school lunches and 2,542 breakfasts were served in October.
Members will attend the state school board convention November 19. The next regular meeting will be Monday, Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m.
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©Guthrie Center Times 2010
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