Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Duneland School Corporation enrollment and budget inch up

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By JEFF SCHULTZ

With an upturn in school attendance over last year, the Duneland Schools budget for 2015 will be advertised at $65,083,100, about a one percent increase over this year.

The Duneland School Board on Monday authorized advertising the budgets in the Chesterton Tribune Aug. 27 and Sept. 3 to give notice of a public hearing to be held Monday, Sept. 8 at 6 p.m.

The budgets for 2014 were advertised at $64.4 million, with the General Fund at $34.5 million. By comparison, the General Fund for 2015 is estimated at $35.975 million. The Fund, which helps pay for staff and benefits, is generated by the state’s funding formula for public schools, taking into account average daily membership or enrollment - the more students, the higher the amount.

Superintendent of Schools David Pruis said the previous ADM count in February saw more students than the September count last year, which is not common.

Meanwhile, the Capital Projects Fund, which is the largest levied fund from local property taxes, will be advertised at $9.384 million which is more than a $1 million decrease from last year, as the fund will help neutralize the schools’ pension debt fund.

That will not give the Duneland Schools as much money to complete projects such as repairing buildings, sports facilities and technology, among other things, said Duneland’s Chief Financial Officer Lynn Kwilasz. “That’s a pretty big drop,” she said.

The CPF fund was advertised at $10.5 million for 2014 with a levy of $7.94 million. The fund currently has a balance of roughly $500,000, which will have to be stretched through the end of this year, Kwilasz said.

The Transportation Operations Fund has also been used to neutralize the pension debt fund but it will be advertised at a higher amount at $4.1 million. The advertised amount for 2014 was $3.996 million.

The Debt Service fund will be advertised at $7.467 million, nearly the same as it was last year. The same goes for School Pension Debt fund at $1.6 million.

To capture the full 22 cents per $100 of assessed valuation of the Referendum fund, which has been used to offset gaps in the state-controlled General Fund, the administration will inflate the estimated amount to $5.8 million which the state will adjust later when it issues the budget.

The 22-cent rate was achieved last year with a certified levy of $5.582 million.

Buses

The 2 percent growth factor the state allows for the levy will allow the Bus Replacement Fund a beefier figure in 2015 than this year. The advertised amount is $750,000 versus $667,000 for 2014.

Still, the same number of buses will be replaced next year as this year - six. Kwilasz said the cash balance is being built up to allow the purchase of more replacement buses in the upcoming years. The school corporation’s 12-year plan includes seven new buses for 2017, eight for 2018, and nine for 2019.

Currently, the funds available total $1.154 million.

Board member John Marshall inquired about the purchase of additional buses as the school corporation grows. Kwilasz said there hasn’t been a school district yet in Indiana to successfully convince the state to increase the levy for the purchase of more buses, but schools could try to convince lawmakers of the need. She said the school district has been lucky enough to have Director of Transportation Jim Bonfield at the helm to keep the fleet maintained with no major problems.

Pruis concluded that “we’ll do the best we can with what we have.”

Bonfield said the problem with replacing buses with those that have a larger capacity is that the longer the bus the more trouble it has navigating in certain residential areas, such as subdivisions.

Another obstacle the schools continue to face is the growing cost of fuel and equipment, he said.

Tax rate

The total estimated tax rate for the Duneland Schools is 1.3024, a decrease from what was estimated and advertised by the schools last year. The figure then was 1.358, later certified at $1.087.

Kwilasz said the tax rate is lower this year because the County Assessor’s office has indicated the overall assessed values for the school district and the county have increased.

The schools should have a better understanding of what finances will look like in time for the Sept. 8 public hearing and should be prepared to answer questions from taxpayers, Kwilasz said.

Budgets, along with levies and tax rates, are advertised higher than anticipated so that the school corporation can achieve the highest level of funding allowed once it is finalized by the Department of Local Government Finance.

Kwilasz said the state’s property tax caps prevent the schools from collecting all the money it advertises for. She said she expects to find out soon how the schools will be hit by the circuit breaker.

School enrollment steady

Later in the meeting, Pruis said the first four days of the 2014-15 school year saw no major problems other than a few “transportation issues” of getting students on the right buses.

As for enrollment, Pruis said the numbers indicate the school district is “right about where it was last year.”

The ADM student count for September 2013 was 5,710.5 and 5,718.1 for February. Pruis anticipates numbers close to that when the count is taken on Friday, Sept. 12.

He said the corporation has seen growth particularly in the kindergarten, third grade and fifth grade classes.

Pruis said before the board meets next on Sept. 8, he should find out how much the foundation amount per student will be in the state funding formula for this year.

Before adjournment, Board President Ralph Ayres gave thanks to the police departments of Chesterton, Porter, Burns Harbor and the Porter County Sheriff’s Police for “outstanding vigilance” over traffic on the first day of school.

 

Posted 8/26/2014

 
 
 
 

 

 

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