FRLS balance is up

FORT RECOVERY — As expected, school finances finished the fiscal year in excellent shape.

Fort Recovery Local Schools finished fiscal 2018, which ended June 30, with a general fund cash balance of $6.02 million, treasurer Lori Koch told the school board at its meeting Tuesday.

The board also got an update on the installation of safety devices.

Fort Recovery’s cash balance at the close of the year was up by more than $1 million from 2017, when it finished just north of $5 million.

The numbers are in line with the five-year financial forecast Koch presented in May. The forecast projected additional surpluses over the next two years that would take to the general fund balance to about $7 million by 2020. The balance has been on a steady climb up from $2.7 million at the close of 2013.

Fort Recovery did well on both sides of the financial equation — it spent less and brought in more.

“The reason for the increase in the cash balance is because revenue increased 2.34 percent … and expenditures overall went down 2.35 percent,” Koch said.

Property tax revenue went up despite a change to current agricultural use value that had been expected to drag it down. Income tax collections also bounced back, going up by 6 percent this year after seeing a 20-percent decline in 2017. Investment revenue was also up.

Fort Recovery had reduced costs thanks to its energy savings program. It saw a reduction of about $50,000 that had been spent on new textbooks the previous year.

Board members Mitch Ervin, Jose Faller, Mike Grube, Nick Wehrkamp and Greg LeFevre also heard from superintendent Justin Firks that the bulk of the Nightlock Lockdown 1 safety devices have been installed. The devices involve small plates on the floor and door with a metal piece that is inserted to secure the door in case of an attack.

The board in June approved the purchase of the devices at a total cost of about $6,500.

Training for students and staff on how to use the devices is scheduled for the beginning of the school year.

Firks also noted a variety of other capital improvement projects that have been completed this summer, including replacement of elementary school carpet, new wiring in the elementary/middle school, new internet servers, renovation of classrooms for special education and upgraded speakers in the middle school gym. Heating registers that were made obsolete thanks to the 2012-13 high school renovation project have also been removed.

In other business, the board:

•Heard from middle school principal Tony Stahl that the school will have its inaugural FIRST Lego League robotics team this year. The season begins next month with competitions leading up to November’s regional at Versailles.

•Was asked to consider whether it would be interested in attending workshops along with other county boards. Mercer County Educational Service Center is considering hosting the workshops if there is enough interest.

•Approved the following: student, teacher, staff, athletics and bus driver handbooks; a three-year contract for new high school principal Bill Overla and a daily rate of $275 for up to 10 days through the remainder of July; Mitch Ervin as delegate and Mike Grube as alternate for Ohio School Board Association’s Capital Conference in November.

•Heard summer in-service for teachers will be held July 30 through Aug. 1.

•Learned that the state of the schools address is scheduled for the Aug. 21 board meeting, which will be held in the community room at FRHS.

•Hired Janell Braun as a substitute bus driver.