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| USD 367 Lowers Mill Levy |
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| News - Osawatomie | |||
| Written by Travis Perry | |||
| Wednesday, 28 July 2010 08:00 | |||
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Despite the constant possibility of state and federal funding cuts and the economic threat of decreasing property values in the community, Osawatomie USD 367 officials voted to lower the district’s levy from 53.198 to 53.146 mills for the 2010-11 school year. Presenting the district’s budget for the coming school year to Board of Education members Thursday morning, Superintendent Gary French said he thought it was more pertinent than ever to keep the mill levy as stable as possible. “The community was really good to us last year,” he said. “We raised (the levy) 3 mills last year, and we raised a lot less money. It was important to do that.” Homeowners will see little difference on their taxes; assuming a stable value, for a home valued at $100,000, the annual decrease will be less than a dollar. The official public hearing on the district’s proposed budget will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 18 at Osawatomie High School. Area residents are encouraged to come and voice any questions or concerns they have to board members that evening. For the most part, the district’s budget for this school year reflects many of the struggles faced by countless other entities across the community, state and nation. Costs are being cut as revenues tighten, and officials are doing what they can to keep those changes from affecting the classroom. A bright spot, French noted, is in regard to the state funding the district will receive. Enrollment was up last year for the first time since before the 2007 flood; that has created a safety net for officials, he explained, because even if enrollment were to go down this fall, the district would be able to utilize last year’s higher numbers. “This was an easy year to predict (expenses), because we’re safe,” he said. In a cost-cutting move, French said, the district will no longer fund the adult education program, which utilizes USD 367 facilities to help adults earn their diploma or general equivalency degree. The district supplied the program with $22,000 in the 2008-09 fiscal year and $15,008 last year. Originally, the program was only slated to receive $5,000 from the district last year, French said, but officials failed to properly manage expenses and sought additional help. The program now owes USD 367 $10,000, French said, noting that matters are “to the point where we’ll lock the doors if we have to.” “I’d rather spend money on kids we have in the school to keep them from winding up there,” he said. In other news, the school board on last Wednesday: Heard concerns from French about the state of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. He said he is worried that the state is putting in money with fewer individuals in the program and that withdrawals aren’t matching revenue. Voted to discontinue the district’s health care contract with the Kansas Education Insurance Trust and Blue Cross Blue Shield in favor of a two-year agreement with Coventry. French said he met with more than 70 district faculty and staff members prior to recommending the change, and the majority of individuals were in favor of the move. The change will save the district $30,000 annually, he said.
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