A $12.8 million budget that includes about $400,000 in cuts due to uncertain state aid next school year was approved by the Salem R-80 school board at its post-election reorganizational meeting Tuesday night.
The board also swore in two new members — Andrew Wynn and Amanda Walker — and re-elected incumbent Holly Erway before choosing new officers for the coming year.
Dustin Howard was elected board president, replacing Bernie Sirois, and Erway was re-elected as vice president. Carrie Snider was chosen as secretary and Chris Heavin is the new treasurer, replacing Drew Whitaker, who did not seek a third term on the board.
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Sirois was named the new Missouri School Boards Association delegate, replacing Larry Maxwell, who lost his re-election bid June 2. Walker was chosen as the MSBA alternate.
In his budget presentation, outgoing superintendent John McColloch, whose contract runs through June 30, said state aid allocations were made by the General Assembly back in February or March, before COVID-19 impacted the state’s economy.
“If we use those (numbers), I’m afraid we’ll be way over what our revenues are actually going to be,” he told the board.
State education officials and budget experts have since offered recommendations on where to set revenues for the coming year, he said. Gov. Mike Parson announced June 1 he is withholding $123 million from the state's Foundation Formula used to fund public schools on a per pupil basis.
The June payment to K-12 schools is being reduced by about 39 percent, according to reports. Federal CARES Act funding will help with the K-12 shortfall but won't make up for the full loss.
April and May payments were much lower and there’s no guarantee of a June payment, McColloch said. More cuts are expected in the new budget year that begins July 1.
The Salem R-80 budget was originally projected at $13.3 million, but was slashed to $12.87 million in anticipation of declining revenues. The cuts include $200,000 in salary and benefits and $200,000 in delayed capital improvements, McColloch said.
The district has 15 new teachers, of which 13 are starting teachers making the base salary of $32,000 a year, he said. Some are replacing retired teachers who made around $50,000.
“That helps obviously with the budget side of things,” he said. “The bad side of it is you’re replacing veterans with new teachers, so there’s going to be some learning curve and different things going on there. But focused simply on the budget, that’s going to be tremendously helpful, especially next year when we’re expecting issues with revenues.”
Some vacant positions will not be filled, including a physical education job at the high school, a special education position at Upper Elementary, a paraprofessional slot at William Lynch and an Early Childhood position left open by a retirement.
Cut from the capital improvement budget is money for paving parking lots, repairing the roof at the middle school and replacement of six HVAC units, he said. Four will be replaced instead of 10.
Revenues in the new budget are projected at $12,883,170. They were originally projected at $13,430,292, McColloch said.
In other action, the board approved revisions in the 2019-20 budget that included $585,661 in unexpected health insurance assessments and exit fees from the South Central Education Consortium. “We are going to deficit spend,” McColloch told the board. “I don’t know how much yet because we haven’t gotten any revenues for June.”
Other changes included Title 1 and local salary and benefit revisions, tuition to place two students in another district and $74,406 to pay for next year’s Chromebooks out of this year’s budget to take advantage of CARES Act reimbursements. McColloch said expenditures would have been $325,000 less than last year if not for the health-insurance assessments.
The board also heard a report from Vo-Ag teacher Lane Howard on changes to the upcoming 4-H/FFA Expo at the Dent County Commons. Howard said the event will feature signage on social distancing, a smaller show ring, handwashing stations and portable bathrooms that are not Porta Potties.
No record books will be required at the Expo to prevent things changing hands. Families of exhibitors must stay outside the barn. Large gatherings like group meals, the talent show and movie night have been eliminated, Howard said.
The livestock sale has been moved to Saturday morning. The normal amount of processing slots will be available through Salem Butcher Shop and Zimmerman Meats, he said.
Also at the meeting, the board:
• approved renewing the district’s Healthy Dent County partnership for $10,000 that will likely include use of the new gym.
• approved renewing the lease on two, 2018 Thomas 77-passenger buses for another year at a discounted cost of $13,750 each. New buses the district wanted to lease won’t be available until December.
• accepted bids on surplus gym equipment totaling $300 from Nick Gover and $260 from Savannah Jadwin.
• accepted resignations from Kelsey Wyrick, first grade teacher; Dylan Wyrick, football coach and P.E. teacher, and Joey Crossgrove, preschool.
In closed session, the board hired Lane Howard as the interim head football coach through the 2020 season, and hired teachers Megan Lawrence, kindergarten; Destiny Hill, first grade; and Julie Harris, art/intervention.
The board also voted to hire Alicia Gallagher, color guard, and approved an extended counselor contract for Chelsey Brakefield.
