Posted: 6/29/04
Deficit budget gets mixed reviews
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
The ISD #299 School Board approved its 2004-05 budget on a 5-2 vote at its June 21 monthly meeting.
Suzanne Roesler and Chuck Schulte voted against it because it has a general fund balance deficit of $17,915.
Schulte said that he couldnít honor the public that elected him if he voted for a deficit budget. He said that the district will be facing cuts of $250,000 in each of the next two years due to declining enrollment.
Board chairman Dave Klinski said the five-day kindergarten that the board approved earlier this year was showing up in this budget. ìWe kind of made it an unbalanced budget by our own decision,î he said.
Interim superintendent Jim Tool, who was attending his final meeting, said it was a conservative budget relative to revenue, with high projections on expenditures. He said several times that it would be a balanced budget. He said for example that a general fund deficit in June 2002 ended up with a surplus of half a million dollars.
With a tight budget in mind, the board later voted to rescind a motion passed on April 19 to purchase a surveillance camera system valued at about $20,000.
By law, the budget must be passed before July 1. It has an overall fund balance surplus of $52,840. Revenues are projected at $9,484,530, with expenditures of $9,431,690.
Personnel items
The board had another split vote later in the meeting when they voted on some personnel issues.
Schulte voted against the hiring of Ronald Helmers as new high school principal as a replacement for Cory Klabunde.
Schulte said that the position has value, but with $250,000 in cuts coming, he could not support it. Helmers, who is coming from the Winona school district, will be paid $79,000 in a one year contract.
Board member Charlie Wray said that when declining enrollment hits the high school, the board should look at eliminating the position then. He said he respects the opinions of Tool and incoming superintendent Mike Moriarty, who both feel itís a good idea to hire a high school principal.
Barb Hurley agreed with Wray. She acknowledged the budget concerns, then reminded Schulte that all board members represent the voters. ìFor us to go without a principal in that area would be a detriment to our district and our students,î she said.
Klinski had a solution for people who were dissatisfied: ìThose filing dates are next month and they can fill it.î
He was referring to school board filings, which can be done June 6-20. Three four-year positions currently held by Hurley, Klinski, and Roesler are open on the Caledonia School Board.
In other personnel matters, the board had the following hirings:
ï Amanda Roiger, full-time English, level BA/0, for $30,216;
ï Laura Ogilvie, part-time Title I, BA/1, for $10,916.15;
ï Curt Campbell, three-act play advisor, $1,292.
Resignations were accepted for Duane Schwartzhoff, elementary custodian, effective August 27; Gene Power, middle/high school band instructor; and Lynette Snow, early childhood/school readiness assistant.
The board also granted a one-year leave of absence for Angela Blair, elementary school teacher.
ï Media center: The board did not make any changes on media center staffing. Several media specialists had attended the May 24 meeting to ask the board to hire a high school media specialist to replace Ken Wright, who retired.
The board instead is going with a recommendation by Tool to move Sherrie White to the high school for part of the day, and to have Jeanne Misch work in the high school media center as a full-time aide.
Tool thinks that an extra block of Joanne Zardís time can be assigned to the library. She is a certified media specialist.
ï Transportation contract: The board approved a new two-year transportation contract with John Schmitz. It contains a three percent reduction ($1,500 per month) on the regular transportation for 2004-05, and a freeze for 2005-06.
ï JOBZ approved: The board approved a subzone modification for Winona Controls. The business is currently based in rural Caledonia but the owner wants to move it to the industrial park in the city to qualify for the JOBZ program. JOBZ offers tax abatement to businesses in exchange for job creation.
ï Second place: Elementary principal Connie Hesse said she was pleased with the schoolís participation in Caledoniaís Sesquicentennial parade. ëThe good news is we got second place,î she said, holding up a trophy. ìThe bad news is we lost to Cody the Buffalo.î
ï Thanks to Jim Tool: Near the end of the meeting, the board showed a 20-minute video that Julie Stafslien had put together on interim superintendent Jim Tool. They also presented him with a crystal bowl as a gift, and thanked him for his two years of service. ìYou were the right man at the right time,î Schulte said.
The Argus will have an interview with Tool in next weekís paper. (A reminder to readers that the deadline for that paper is Thursday, July 1, at noon for classified ads and at 5 p.m. for news and display advertising.)
Board approves budget, no concessions building
The 2004-05 budget that the school board approved on June 21 deleted $75,600 in capital spending.
That includes $50,000 for a concessions stand building by the outside athletic complex that the board had talked about at its May 3 meeting. The building will not likely be built for the coming school year, interim superintendent Jim Tool said on June 22.
The reduction came as a result of two cuts in state funding:
ï State health and safety aid of $65,903 was eliminated.
ï The state is reducing special education aid by placing a cap on the total amount to be paid to all districts. For School District 299, that amounts to about $118,000 in 2004-05, which is about 17 percent of the total special education funding of $687,000. Services and staffing will not be cut, because the programs are mandated and have to be provided to students, Tool said.
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