Board of education reviews budget
Staff writer
USD 410 board of education set the budget Monday night that will be published prior to their August meeting.
The budget calls for an increase the total mill levy by 2.342 mills. The budget also will maximize the district's uses of the local option budget, adjust the bond and interest mill levy to reflect the increase in assessed values and additional revenue generated in 2003-04, and sets the capital outlay at its maximum of four mills.
According to reports from the board, a residence valued at $100,000 would see an increase of $21.55 annually or $1.80 a month in taxes. Taxes for a business with an assessed value of $200,000 would increase by $117.10 annually or $9.76 a month. Taxes on farmland valued at $80,000 would increase $56.21 annually or $4.68 a month.
Superintendent Gordon Mohn encouraged the public to let board members know their concerns or attend the August meeting. The board cannot adopt a budget higher than published but can adopt one lower.
Among other issues handled by the board was the designation of the school district's official newspaper which handles the publishing of legal notices and is required by law. A request from the Hillsboro Free Press Extra to be considered prompted the board to make the change.
Historically the Hillsboro Star- Journal has been the official newspaper of the school district. The law requires that legal notices be published in an area paper with a paid subscription.
The Free Press Extra is published by the Hillsboro Free Press as a paid circulation newspaper. It currently has about 100 subscribers. In addition to being published in the Extra, the notices also will be published in the Free Press.
According to Mohn, the Free Press Extra satisfies the "spirit" of the law by allowing more people to have the opportunity to read the notices.
The board re-elected Brent Barkman as president and Eddie Weber as vice-president and appointed board members to the following positions: Debbie Geis will continue as the MCSEC representative, Weber will continue as the Marion County Special Education Cooperative alternate representative, Mark Rooker will continue as the TEEN representative, Rod Koons was appointed as chief negotiator, Dale Klaassen was appointed as assistant negotiator, Doug Weinbrenner was selected as professional development council representative, and Barkman was appointed as KASB government relations representative.
The employment issues of master contracts, substitute teacher pay, activity bus driver pay, contract information for classified employees, medical reimbursement debit card, and other contract changes were discussed.
The board approved the master contract agreed upon by the interest based bargaining team. The contract increases overall compensation for returning teachers by 3.014 percent.
Substitute teacher pay will not increase. Currently substitute teachers are paid $82.50 per day.
Activity bus driver pay was increased from $7.65 to $7.85 an hour.
The board approved providing classified employees with the same fringe benefits as the teaching staff.
A medical debit card offered by the district's medical insurance was approved. The plan will allow employees to use a debit card to access their medical reimbursement accounts and avoid pre-paying and reimbursement.
Other contract changes include the resignations of bus driver Dale Winter and assistant high school boys' basketball coach Kory Unruh. The board approved a supplemental contract for Maura Wiebe as a technology facilitator, issuance of contracts to Jacob Janzen and Steve Glahn to serve as bus drivers, and an increase in hourly wage for bus driver Mary Clay.
The board approved the increase of textbook fees by $5. No change was made in meal prices in the district, and other student fees will stay the same; however, the board did approve the implementation of two new fees. The Hillsboro High School art fee will be $15 and will cover the cost of items purchased for that class, and the band consumable fee will be $15 and will cover band items needed such as oil and reeds.
