School board passes budget

Two projects put on hold

School board members passed a $40.03 million budget for the 2020-2021 school year during a special meeting on Tuesday.

The budget estimates a $1.65 million loss, with $38.38 million in revenue and $40.03 million in expenses, according to Terri Raskiewicz, chief financial officer for the district. The document includes sections on revenue, teacher salary and expenditures, operating expenses, debt services, categorical funds and the building fund. Most federal funds are managed separately.

Raskiewicz said she budgeted revenue more aggressively this year to be more in line with what the district received over the past three years. Forty-two percent of the district’s revenue comes from local property taxes, 57 percent from state funding and around 1 percent from federal funding for having a portion of the National Forest in the school district, she said.

The district spends 72.5 percent of its budget on salaries and benefits for teachers and staff members, 7.63 percent on debt payment and the rest is spent on all its other needs such as utilities, buses, fuel, technology, textbooks, building maintenance, classroom supplies, library books and health services, she said.

There are a number of new expenses this year, including the additional costs of sanitation and personal protective supplies for the covid-19 pandemic, and increases in the portion of the health insurance expenses the district pays for each employee, the portion the district pays towards teacher retirement, and