Submitted by Jennifer Favalora, RSD #17 Board of Education.
The Board of Education met Tuesday and gave consent to bring the 2020/21 Gross Budget of $41,887,638.40 to a final vote of the Board on June 2, 2020. This Gross Budget is a $461,275.12 reduction from the 2019/20 Gross Budget. Superintendent Dr. Hageman and her team worked diligently, alongside BoE Treasurer Eileen Blewitt, to present a budget that balanced the District’s strategic priorities with requested budget reductions.
New investments were made to improve student achievement, support teacher excellence and positively impact student health and wellness. This includes a new K-8 math program/textbook resource and additional in-district math support to help students succeed. In addition, funds were allocated for purchased services through Effective School Solutions, two additional RBTs and two special education teachers to meet the needs of special education students, as well as an additional Health/PE HS teacher to accommodate new state requirements. The budget includes investments in technology infrastructure, soft/hardware and interactive whiteboards. In addition, to relieve pressure on the 2020/21 budget, the Board allocated unspent 2019/20 funds due to COVID 19 to invest in Chromebooks for every student, a new website platform and new accounting/HR system.
Budget reductions were realized by making changes in operations and deferring spending. Noteworthy reductions include changes to the school calendar; students will attend 180 school days instead of 182 days and six early release Professional Development days will be converted into full school days. Late buses were eliminated and HK Rec has agreed to provide extended after school hours at HKMS. Additionally, teacher and nursing staff reductions were made to adjust to decreasing enrollment. The Board agreed to defer spending by delaying purchases, from textbooks to wrestling mats, and by not filling some open positions for another year. Further budget reductions were identified in energy usage and health insurance, by underfunding the Capital Fund, and by paying off a portion of debt service by using $150,000 of the Bond Premium. The Board will take advantage of the Minimum Budget Requirement (MBR) exemption for decreased enrollment, allowing the Board to vote for a gross budget that is lower than last year.
The 2020/21 Potential Proposed Budget can be viewed on the RSD17.org website under the District/Board of Education tabs. The Board will meet on June 2, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. via Video Conference to vote to adopt this budget and that meeting can be viewed through the district website.
