YUHSD board approves $73M budget
Also hears about Kofa renovations
The Yuma Union High School District passed its 2018-2019 budget of $73,317,458 Wednesday evening.
Financial Services Director Neil Brown led the board through the document at the board’s public hearing before the monthly business meeting in the library of Yuma High School.
“Our M&O budget increased by 6.1 percent, which was $4,239,759,” Brown explained to board members David Lara, Teri Brooks and president Phil Townsend. Shelley Mellon attended the meeting by phone conference call. Bruce Gwynn was absent.
Brown also pointed out the new box on the budget form for reporting average teacher salary, which for fiscal year (FY) 2019 will be $48,601, an increase of 11 percent over FY2018, or $4,873.
“Of that 11 percent, there is an additional 1 percent that’s an increase that will be given through the teacher base pay and with that 1 percent that equals 12 percent that is given to the teachers,” Brown said.
The average salary does not include Prop 301 funds or monies from reservation gaming.
Prop 301, also known as Classroom Site Funds, was passed in 2000, increasing the state sales tax 0.6 percent with the funds going to support K-12 education. The district had a nearly 16 percent increase in Prop 301 dollars, due to an increase in state tax revenues.
Brown also noted that the dis-
trict is being consistent in its definition of teacher, “which includes not only classroom teachers but other certified employees such as counselors, instructional coaches, some librarians and nurses.”
In its District Additional Assistance fund, the district plans to expend $7,364,703 in property and books and instructional aids: $100,000 for library books, textbooks and instructional aids; $500,000 for technology hardware and software; $850,000 for vehicles; and $5,914,703 for furniture and equipment.
The district’s debt service budget remains unchanged from FY2018.
The district does not expect any changes to its primary and secondary property tax levies, Brown said.
Board member Lara asked about the estimated revenues by source for FY2018, wondering where the “intermediate” dollars came from. Lara also questioned if the property taxes received could be broken down by city and/or residential area.
Brown said he would get back to Lara at a later date because he wanted to get more clarification.
The budget hearing was adjourned with no comment from the public. The budget later passed during the regular business meeting on a 4-0 vote.
Board members also heard an update on bond projects at Kofa High School from Facilities Director Jay Munoz.
“So far they’re keeping on track with that, so they’re doing a great job,” Munoz said of the DLR Group and McCarthy Construction, the contractors for the site.
Kofa is getting 37,792 square feet of new construction, including a new classroom building and a new auxiliary gym. Renovations include 21,673 square feet with a new culinary arts kitchen and dining area; a new book store; the “600s” building will host career and technical education programs. The renovations also include improvements and rerouting of HVAC underground piping and chiller plant pumps upgrade.
Some of the renovations and new buildings are replacing buildings that are original to the campus, Munoz said, which was built in the mid-1950s.
Other construction the district is conducting in the same area as Kofa is nearing completion: a new building for Vista High School, which will be open for the new school year, and new administration offices, both on the corner of Avenue A and 32nd Street. Those projects are being built by CORE Construction, with BWS Architects/ Thompson Design Architects on design.
Board members also received an invitation to the premiere of a documentary about Ready Now Yuma, which will be at 5:30 p.m. July 17 at Regency Cinemas downtown.
The board will next meet at noon July 18 for a special meeting and noon July 25, mainly to approve personnel reports among other items, Superintendent Gina Thompson said.
“We want to get those teachers going in the classroom,” she explained, as school starts Aug. 2.