RC School Board struggles with budget woes
Cuts in the Rogers City Area Schools budget are an inevitable task that will have to be performed in order to get through the year, but they will wait until next month?s board meeting, a reprieve of sorts, because of several sticking points. Planning and finance committee chairman Michael Marx provided the board with recommendations for the cuts at Monday?s board meeting.
?We (the planning and finance committee) have been charged with taking another look at the budget,? Marx said. ?It looks like we now will have an $84 cut per student that we?re dealing with.? Cuts totalling $46,000 have been recommended by the committee and include: $18,000 for a new riding lawnmower, which the committee felt could be postponed for a year; $5,000 that could be taken from the high school capital outlay funds; $3,000 from the technology fund; and the elimination of a $20,000 building and grounds maintenance supervisor?s position.
Marx told the board he was under the impression the board did not want to take more out of the $100,000 fund equity balance. With the district being halfway through the fiscal year at this week?s end, trustee Richard Hanson and treasurer Dana LaBar expressed concerns that any delays would only be putting off the inevitable.
SEVERAL ISSUES caused the board to hesitate and delay making a motion to reach a decision. Superintendent Ed Schultz said, ?The contract for the building/grounds and transportation supervisor has a clause that will only allow us to break that contract if the district can show a severe financial crisis.? Schultz said he would pursue a legal opinion from the district?s attorney, with whom he has been in contact. Secondly, business manager Don Schaedig reported the unsettled contracts with the Rogers City Educators Association and support staff leave doubt about the unknown costs. It was decided the issue of budget cuts would be on the agenda for the district?s January 26 workshop meeting, and they will come up for a motion at the February 9 monthly meeting.
IN OTHER business: ?The resignation of Duane Sobeck was accepted with thanks from the board. Schultz recommended the board accept the resignation from Sobeck?s post-retirement position as student/work facilitator.
?He did a wonderful job and we?ll miss him a lot,? Marx said. ?I?ll miss him. He gave me a lot of help. We?ll miss the good job he did,? Hanson added.
?Diane Smuda was called up to accept a ?Golden Apple Award? from the RC Optimist Club for her recognition as local ?Teacher of the Year.? Representing the club were superintendent Schultz, elementary principal Deb Jones, and board secretary Mike Marx.
?Schultz paid tribute to all the school board members, as January has been designated as School Board Recognition Month. The theme this year is ?School Board Members Lead So Students Succeed.?
?The driver?s education fee has been changed from $145 last year to $300 for this year. ?We recommend that we continue to offer driver education training, but at no cost to the district,? Schultz said.
?A candy selling fundraiser was approved for Grambau for the fifth graders to defray costs for participation at Camp Wolverine.
?Also approved was a February 7 bottle drive for the wrestling team.
?A property transfer re
?Schaedig brought up great concerns about the rising costs of heating, which are now 38 percent higher than last year and will probably continue to increase. ?We could have a $10,000 to $15,000 overrun in gas costs,? Schaedig warned.
?Principal Deb Jones reported the newly installed doors at the elementary school were working fine and created a much warmer atmosphere in the hallways. ?Principal Jim Connell announced the Winter Homecoming game and dance are scheduled for January 23 and 24.
?The board approved further joint meetings with the Rogers City Council to work on compatible issues.