Crane board OKs $64 million budget for new school year

Crane School District’s governing board approved a $64 million budget for the 2019-2020 school year during their monthly meeting Tuesday morning.

The budget went unaltered since it was proposed during a board meeting in June, and according to Crane Chief of Finance and Operations Dale Ponder, there was no comment from members of the public.

Its maintenance and operations portion accounts for $35 million in expenditures, 90% of which is for salaries and benefits.

The district recently gave staff a 6.25% across-theboard pay raise, which contributes to a higher average salary for the 2019-2020 school year of over $45,500. Crane has raised teacher salaries by 18% since the 2017-2018 school year.

Minimum wage employees are excluded from the district’s recent pay raise and will get a bump up to $12 per hour in January due to Proposition 206.

The budget also includes an increase in the effective property tax rate for homeowners living in the district, going up to 3.9378% from 3.1941%. This increase is due to a budget override passed by voters in November of 2018 that will be funding safety improvements, including “one-button lockdown” systems that aid schools in active shooter situations. Construction costs are also included in the budget to the tune of $850,000, part of which will be used for expanding Salida del Sol Elementary School as Rancho Viejo students are transferred over. This process has been dubbed “Crane District Forward” by administration and also involves Gowan Science Academy will eventually move into Rancho Viejo’s current building.

Tribal casino money is also accounted for in the budget and will be put, in part, toward $400 bonuses in December for all teachers. The money will also be going toward Crane’s alternative placement program.