School budget passed (09/19/06)

It took less than 10 minutes to pass a budget of more than $31 million.

Members of the Jay School Board, who received no comments on the proposed budget during a public hearing late last month, gave their OK to the 2007 budget by a 5-0 margin Monday with no discussion.

Also approved as part of a series of seven resolutions by the school board were reductions in several 2006 appropriations - including $432,000 in the bus replacement fund because no buses will be purchased this year.

The budget includes projected expenditures of $31,301,272, a 5.4 increase from the amount appropriated this year.

Board members in attendance Monday were Doug Inman, Mike Shannon, Jay Halstead, Mike Masters and Greg Wellman.

Listed below are the school funds for 2007:

•General fund - $23,425,500, up 2.5 percent.

•Debt service fund - $1,998,900, up 60.6 percent.

•Retirement/severance pension debt - $555,172, no change.

•Capital projects fund - $2,880,000, up 6.9 percent.

•Transportation fund - $1,747,700, up 4.8 percent.

•Bus replacement fund - $444,000, up 2.8 percent.

•Special education/pre-school fund - $250,000, up 4.2 percent.

The budget has an advertised property tax rate of $2.1374 per $100 assessed valuation, but the advertised rate always drops after assessment figures are updated and the budget receives state approval.

The only other business for board members was approval of a field trip for FFA officers at Jay County High School to leadership training in Trafalgar Saturday and Sunday.[[In-content Ad]]