?All is not fine in Budget City? super says

Budget discussion at the Rogers City Area Schools Board of Education meeting Monday brought a mixed bag of results. District officials, administrators, and board members, as well as staff, have been able pare down the budget from a deficit of nearly $200,000 to less than $90,000 over the course of four months.

The effort to erase red ink was bolstered by an unexpected revenue source. At the time the budget for the 2003-04 fiscal year was figured, chief financial officer Don Schaedig was unaware Gov. Jennifer Granholm included the three year average in the state aid formula.

That addition increased the pupil count by 18 and added $120,600 to the revenue side of the budget.

IT SEEMED TO be a bit of good news that the budget was headed in the right direction, but superintendent Ed Schultz warned a special revenue conference was scheduled by the governor this week with a possible executive order forthcoming which could reduce state aid from $100 to $250 per pupil. ?I know I?ve been preaching doom and gloom, and have done so since I?ve come here to Rogers City, but as they say, that?s what the superintendent gets the big bucks for,? said Schultz.

The reduction could translate into an estimated loss of between $70,000 to $100,000 to the district and would have to come out of the already-amended budget. ?News out of Lansing is not good in terms of the sputtering economy,? said Schultz. ?We definitely have lagging tax sales.?

Reports from Lansing indicate revenue projections have fallen well short, yet again. ?The predictions are that the revenue conference will recommend to the governor that she has to take a close hard look at another executive order cut,? said Schultz.

THE SUPERINTENDENT asked that the planning and finance committee, which helped the district make the last round of cuts, discuss the situation when the dust settles. ?Not all is fine in ?Budget City,? ? said Schultz. With the fourth Wednesday September count passing, it was possible for Schaedig to have more confidence in the district?s enrollment and get a better handle on the situation with the state aid formula. Some expenditure adjustments since June 9 al

so were necessary since the board adopted the initial budget. The greatest gain was from the three year average provision being added, while the biggest loss came from $8,700 of taxes from the Headlee rollback. On the expenditure side, there were some savings from the resignation and retirement of two physical education teachers.

The district saved additional dollars when it didn?t have to pay the $6,150 salary of a JV football coach because the program didn?t have sufficient numbers to field a team. The largest expenditure increase came from a $20,300 status change in insurance benefit for some teacher aides.