EM school board: budget variance shifts $150,000

By LeAnn R. Ralph

ELK MOUND  —  This year’s 2015-2016 budget variance report for the Elk Mound school district shows a transfer of $150,000 to the instructional fund.

The Elk Mound Board of Education approved the budget variance report at the June 20 meeting.

The additional $150,000 in the instructional fund will be used mainly for technology, such as computers, said Dr. Ron Walsh, superintendent.

The school year officially runs from July 1 through June 30.

The June 20 school board meeting was Dr. Walsh’s last meeting before his retirement on June 30.

The $150,000 to the instructional fund will be coming from the support fund and the non-program fund, Dr. Walsh explained.

The support fund includes items such as maintenance and utility bills, and all together $80,000 will be transferred out of support, he said.

An additional $70,000 will be transferred out of the non-program fund.

The non-program fund has money left over because of less money being paid out for open enrolled students as well as a smaller amount paid out for retirement, Dr. Walsh said.

In a matter related to the 2015-2016 budget, the Board of Education approved allowing the administration to spend out of the fund balance at the end of June, if necessary.

The school board also approved moving $40,000 into the fund balance.

The school district tries to have enough money on hand so that the district does not have to do short-term borrowing to pay current bills, Dr. Walsh said.

For example, the day of the school board meeting happened to be a payroll day but was also the day that several million dollars in state aid arrived, he said.

If the payroll date had fallen a few days earlier, the school district may have been in a position where short-term borrowing was necessary to cover the payroll, Dr. Walsh noted.

Other business 

In other business, the Elk Mound Board of Education:

• Accepted the resignations of Sally Bartig (an aide at Mound View Elementary) and Lisa Yakesh (an aide at Elk Mound High School).

• Scheduled the next meeting for July 25 at 6:45 p.m. for a preliminary budget hearing with the regular school board meeting to follow.

• Received a reminder that the annual meeting will be August 22, with the regular school board meeting starting at 6:45 p.m. and the annual meeting beginning at 8 p.m.

During a closed session, the Elk Mound Board of Education:

• Received a proposal from a resident who owns property adjacent to the school district to purchase a narrow strip of land, 40 feet wide by 220 feet long (.2 acres), on the other side of the old football field for $3,000. If the school board accepts the offer, the buyer will be responsible for paying for any land surveys and other fees. Dr. Walsh said he would check with the school district’s attorney on the legalities of selling land. If a school district is going purchase property, the purchase must be approved by the electorate during the annual meeting, he noted.

• Approved hiring Sharon Christiansen as a part-time food service worker in the middle school.

• Approved hiring John Froehle, a current bus driver in the district, to drive a noon route. With the additional position, Froehle will be driving a school bus for all three routes: morning, noon and afternoon.

• Approved hiring Samantha Weix as the head high school softball coach.

• Postponed until the July meeting hiring an assistant high school football coach and a high school power lifting advisor.