SA reviews budget for 2016

BERNE — South Adams School Board reviewed its 2016 budget Tuesday, discussing planned capital improvement projects and technology updates.
Board members reviewed the budget, which came in at $15.1 million, during a work session. They plan to vote to give permission to advertise the budget — it will be online at https://gateway.ifionline.org/ — at their regular meeting Tuesday.
A public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8, and a vote on adoption is slated for Oct. 3.
The budget of $15,109,619 is down more than $250,000 from what was proposed in 2015, but also includes $500,000 in spending from the rainy day fund that was not part of this year’s plan.
The bulk of the budget is the general fund, which is being advertised at just under $9 million. It was cut by nearly $300,000 from 2015.
All general fund money comes from the state.
Superintendent Scott Litwiller said this morning he projects deficit spending of about $310,000 for 2016. That would leave the school’s general fund balance at about $1.1 million.
South Adams had been projected to overspend by nearly $800,000 in 2016, but reduced spending by nearly a half a million dollars in part by cutting seven teaching positions. Its general fund balance has slipped from $2.28 million at the end of 2012 to an estimated $1.4 million at the end of this year in part because of declining enrollment, which is directly tied to state funding.
“We’ve made cuts to try to keep in line with our revenue, which is our enrollment,” Litwiller said Tuesday.
The remaining funds, which are supported by local property tax dollars, involved in the budget include debt service ($1.9 million), capital projects ($1.7 million), transportation ($1.5 million), rainy day ($500,000) and bus replacement ($110,000). The tax rate in 2015 was $1.03 per $100 of assessed value and is expected to be similar this year.
Among the capital projects slated for 2016 are milling and resurfacing of the track at a cost of $80,000 and new LED lighting for the north and south driveways, gym, tennis courts and selected areas of the school. Also in the budget is $75,000 for freshman laptop computers, $72,000 to replace one grade level of middle school computers and $50,000 for iPads used at the elementary school.
During a short special meeting following the work session, board members Arlene Amstutz, John Mann, Julie Mansfield, Landon Patterson, John Buckingham and Mitch Sprunger:
•Approved athletics director Jason Arnold as a volunteer assistant football coach by a 4-2 vote with Patterson and Mansfield dissenting. Also named Nathan Houser as the auditorium director.
•Heard a reminder from Litwiller that a staff welcome breakfast is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Monday with a meeting to follow at 8:15 a.m.
•Accepted the resignation of Lisa Brotherton as a part-time special education aide.
•Approved the assignments of Tom Hartman as head custodian at the elementary/middle school and Molly Anderson as a part-time library aide.