Friday, May 22, 2009

School district proposes $74 million budget

Spending plan $1.3 million larger than previous year


By TERRY SMITH
Express Staff Writer

Blaine County School District Business Manager Mike Chatterton explains the budgeting process at a "School Budget 101" public information session Wednesday evening at the Community Campus in Hailey. Photo by David N. Seelig

The Blaine County School District is proposing a budget of more than $74 million for the upcoming school year.

The proposed budget for fiscal year 2010, which starts on July 1, is $1.3 million larger than that of the previous year. District Business Manager Mike Chatterton said the district was able to absorb a cut in state funding of about $800,000 with federal economic stimulus money and some $15.2 million in carryover funds from fiscal year 2009.

Chatterton said the board of trustees is expected to approve the budget at its regular school board meeting on June 9. A public hearing will be held prior to the board's decision.

Newly elected trustees Paul Bates and Steve Guthrie will not be impaneled as board members at that time. They will be sworn in at the board meeting on July 14. Until then, incumbents Alexandra Sundali and Kim Nilsen, who were defeated in Tuesday's elections by Bates and Guthrie, respectively, will remain voting board members. Sundali is the board chairwoman.

The budget includes $54.6 million in general funds, the money that is spent on educating students. The balance of the budget includes federal and state funds, building funds and various special project funds.

Nearly $40 million of the proposed budget is for salaries and benefits.

Release of the proposed budget figures on Thursday followed two public information sessions in Hailey on Wednesday at which Chatterton explained the budgeting process. The sessions, entitled "School Budgeting 101," were sponsored by the school district and the Blaine County Education Foundation.

Not counting school district administrators and foundation representatives, 12 members of the public attended the meetings, said foundation Executive Director Heather Crocker. Bates attended a morning session and Sundali attended the session in the evening.

State Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, attended the evening session. She praised the school district and foundation for holding the events.

"I wish there were more people here," Jaquet said.

"So do we," said Sundali.

Chatterton explained at the sessions that property owners in Blaine County support the school district with four separate levies.

District construction projects during the last 16 years have been funded by a $16.5 million school bond issue approved by voters in 1993 and a plant facilities levy bond approved by the electorate in 2000. That levy was for $4 million a year for 10 years. Chatterton said both bonds will mature and be paid off in 2010.

A school override levy was approved by the voters in 1995. It provides $2.6 million per year to the school district indefinitely.

Chatterton said the largest revenue source for the district is a school budget stabilization levy that provided $29.5 million to the budget for fiscal year 2009 and is the major revenue source for the district's general fund.

Chatterton said the budget stabilization levy has allowed the school district to better weather the current economic downturn and to absorb funding cuts from the state. He pointed out that the school district receives about 30 percent of its funding from the state, while some districts in Idaho are up to 95 percent reliant on state funds.

"The economic crisis hit us at better time than we've been in for 20 years," he said. "We're actually going to be able to absorb that loss [state funding] so it won't have any impact to the district at all."

Terry Smith: tsmith@mtexpress.com

Public hearing

The public will be given the chance to comment on the proposed fiscal year 2010 budget for the Blaine County School District at the regular school board meeting on June 9. The budget hearing will start at 6:30 p.m. at the school district office at 118 West Bullion St. in Hailey. Prior to that, the budget will be published for two weeks in the Idaho Mountain Express. Copies are also available from District Business Manager Mike Chatterton at 578-5012 or mchatterton@blaineschools.org.




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