Cloverdale School Board briefed on proposed 2022 budget

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

CLOVERDALE — The time has come for school administrations to consider their financials ahead of next year. For Cloverdale’s, this indicates stability despite lower enrollment and expenditures in general.

Superintendent Greg Linton gave an overview of Cloverdale Schools’ proposed budget for next year during the Cloverdale School Board’s regular meeting Monday evening.

He first briefed on the number of students from last school year compared to the 2005-06 school year, in which Cloverdale Schools has lost 393 students since then. This figures into how much funding the school corporation receives from the state through average daily membership (ADM).

The assumptions figured into being financially stable include maintaining staff levels for positions supported by the Education Fund, as well as ADM potentially decreasing by 30 students this year. Also considered are a loss of revenue with the circuit breaker property tax cap pulling $61,480, as well as utilities and property casualties increasing 10 percent each year.

The Education Fund is expected to have and spend $15,170,933, in which a levy and rate are not figured in. Expenditures in the Debt Service Fund will be over revenues by a little over $608,000. As such, the levy is projected at $1,405,590 with a rate of 64 cents. Meanwhile, Linton said $1 million would be appropriated into the Rainy Day Fund.

As for the Pension Debt Fund, revenue would still be above $256,712 in expenditures with $451,011 coming in. With the Operations Fund, expenditures are set at $6,882,883, a gap of $2,431,520 from revenue However, this revenue accounts for a shortfall of $950,000 allowed by statute. The Operations levy would come in at $2,493,000 with a rate of $1.13.

Linton said the proposed budget, like any other year, was built with 18 months’ advance. He also noted that the tax rate has gone down in the last few years due to assessed value going up and old debt going off.

Ultimately, the total rate advertised comes to $1.77, while the levy would be $3,837,110.

With this, the board approved to advertise Cloverdale Schools’ proposed budget for 2022, as well as its capital projects and school bus replacement plans.

In other business:

• The board approved Cloverdale Schools’ re-entry plan for this school year. Linton noted that the plan had been posted on the school corporation’s website and that it remained unchanged. He reiterated that masks will be optional inside school buildings, but required on buses per a federal mandate.

• The board approved its contract with Five Star Technology Solutions, which provides assistance with technology-related issues throughout the school corporation. While there was an increase in the contract cost, Linton said Five Star had been “a great company to work with.”

• The board approved an agreement between the school corporation and Hendricks Regional Health to provide an athletic trainer for contact sport athletes. Linton said the trade-off would be for the hospital to advertise on school grounds.

The board also approved the following personnel report:

• Resignations: Quinn Albright - CES kindergarten teacher; Jessica Ferran - CES instructional assistant; Lisa Perry - CES/CMS cafeteria; Emily Kaufman - CES instructional assistant; Valerie Nees - CMS instructional assistant; Barb Cummings - CHS AEP; Amy Bates - CES instructional assistant; and Matthew Langdon - bus driver;

• Employment: Jessica Ferran - CES kindergarten teacher; Taulbee Jackson - CMS language arts teacher; Amy Herrington - CHS media center; Julie Collenbaugh - CMS instructional assistant; Mark Wheeler - Knoy Center teacher; Barb Cummings - CES/CMS cafeteria (5.5. hours); Sandra Holmes - CES/CMS cafeteria (3.5 hours); Dawn Bowen-Hardwick - CMS instructional assistant; and Annie Hassler - CES instructional assistant;

• Coaching:

— Resignation: Kurt Kyle - CHS varsity baseball coach;

— Hires: Tyler Lotz - assistant CHS football coach and weight room; Liz Spencer - CHS JV volleyball coach; Justin Shepherd - assistant CMS football coach; Sandi Price - eighth-grade volleyball coach; Autumn Lewellen - seventh-grade volleyball coach; and renewal and recommendations of paid CMS/CHS coaching positions.

Board Secretary Donna Fidler was the only board member absent at the meeting. Joining Linton and the board were Corporation Deputy Treasurer Lynn Lotz, Curriculum Director Cathy Ames and principals Sonny Stoltz, Dawn Tucker and Mary Jane Elkins.

The next meeting of the Cloverdale School Board is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Arthur L. Johnson Administration Office near Cloverdale High School.

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