School financial outlook improves

FORT RECOVERY –– The numbers are better than expected.

Fort Recovery School Board received an overview of its five-year financial forecast during a work session before its meeting Monday. Ohio’s economic issues as a result of the coronavirus pandemic are not as bad as projected, treasurer Deanna Knapke explained.

Fort Recovery Local Schools is projected to finish fiscal year 2021, which ends June 30, with a budget surplus of $256,270. That would bring its year-end cash balance to more than $7.1 million, continuing a trend of budget surpluses from the last several years.

The new forecast shows an improvement over November, when a budget deficit of $156,819 was projected for fiscal 2021.

The financial forecast presented Monday projects budget deficits beginning at $101,736 in 2022, $439,439 in 2023, $880,608 in 2024 and more than $1.2 million in 2025. Those deficits would drop the district’s year-end balance to $4.4 million by the end of fiscal year 2025. (In the November forecast, it was predicted by 2025 the year-end balance would fall to $2.7 million.)

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine cut about $300 million from K-12 public school funding in May 2020 for the remainder of the fiscal year. In January 2021, DeWine ordered the restoration of about $160 million in public school funds, meaning Fort Recovery schools only took a loss of $78,000. (State funding accounts for about 54% of the school’s budget.)

Schools received federal funding through the Elementary and Secondary Schools Education Relief Funds (ESSER) and the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which have both been used to offset expenses, Knapke said. She noted the school received about $60,000 from ESSER funds and about $45,000 from the CARES Act. Those monies were used for technology, cleaning and other coronavirus-related materials.

Another two rounds of ESSER funds, about $229,000 and $515,000, are expected in the future, she added, although Knapke did not include those figures in the forecast.

“Nothing’s been told at this time as to what is going to happen with our state funding, so we are keeping our state funding pretty much flat throughout the forecast,” she said.

Knapke also noted a few upcoming changes, including that employees will begin paying 12% of their insurance costs starting in January and 13% in January 2023. (At present, staff pay 10%.)

Board members approved a contract with Fort Recovery Education Association effective August 1 through July 31, 2024. According to a press release from the board, the association –– which represents about 46 members –– and school board agreed to a 1.9% salary increase for teachers and counselors in August 2021 and 2022, and a 2.2% salary increase starting in August 2023. There were also other changes in areas such as health care benefits and use of personal leave, according to the release.

The school board authorized Knapke and Brown to enter into an agreement with Navigate 360, a safety planning and monitoring program. The emergency management suite offers digital safety plan charts, which can be accessed via mobile devices. Brown indicated this can be helpful to teachers so they can have access to needed plans anywhere.

Along with an interactive map and 360-degree photos of each room in the building, it also can create safety plans –– Fort Recovery Local Schools’ safety plans will need to be reviewed and re-approved in 2022 –– and it offers a place for officials to upload safety drill information.

In other news, board members Anne Guggenbiller, Jake Knapke, Greg LeFevre, Don Wendel and Nick Wehrkamp:

•Learned from elementary school principal Kelli Thobe that the school is nearly maxed out of its preschool registration for next year with 99 students (it can register 100 total).

•Heard about several construction projects slated for the summer, including resurfacing the high school parking lot and replacing carpets or pouring floor treatments in several elementary and middle school areas. Also, about 20 new internet switches and 90 new access points will be added for the upcoming school year.

•Authorized an agreement between the school and Rehabilitative Services Inc. of Coldwater for athletic trainers, physical therapists and other certified personnel from July 1 through June 30, 2022.

•Approved a contract with West Central Ohio Assistive Technology Center for July 1 through June 30, 2022. Brown explained its services are used mainly for special education purposes such as those with visual impairments.

•Renewed or entered contracts with the following staff: elementary principal Kelli Thobe, building maintenance and custodial supervisor Kevin Will, district technology coordinator Ryan Fullenkamp, sophomore class advisor Julie Billenstein and substitute bus driver Tim Smith for the 2021-22 school year; also Ryan Thien as high school softball head coach, Carrie Schoen as high school softball varsity assistant coach, Mandy Gerlach as junior high girls basketball head coach, Kim Niekamp as junior high track head coach, Bob Heitkamp as junior high track assistant coach, Bob Leverette as the assistant boys basketball coach and Alan Evers as the assistant junior high boys basketball coach. (Board members chose to table hiring Charlie Vasey as high school assistant track coach and Brian Patch as the high school assistant baseball coach until the head coaches for each sport were hired.)

•Hired Holly Gann for help transitioning with the current athletic/transportation director from Monday through July 31 on an as-needed basis. She’ll be paid $278 per day with a limit of eight days total.

•Approved an overnight FFA officer retreat to Marysville June 1 and 2, and an overnight Ohio FFA camp field trip to Camp Muskingum in Carrollton from July 7 through 11.

•OK’d bus driver Mo Johnson to switch from an afternoon route to a morning and afternoon route starting in August.

•Accepted nearly $720 in donations, including a $500 donation from the VFW Post 6515 for the new middle school auditeria audio equipment.