Colfax school board reviews preliminary $8.58 million expenditure budget for 2017-2018

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX  — The lack of a state budget has given new meaning to the term “preliminary budget” for the Colfax Board of Education.

The Colfax school board reviewed the preliminary budget for the 2017-2018 school year at the July 17 budget meeting.

Without the state’s biennial budget for 2017-2019, the school district’s budget is really preliminary, said Bill Yingst, school district administrator.

Yingst noted the lack of a state budget not only affects Colfax but also impacts all of the other school districts in the state.

The budget year officially ends on June 30, but as of the July 17 school board meeting, the state Legislature had not yet approved a new budget.

The governor has promised new funding for education, but without an approved budget on the state level, the school district has no way of knowing whether additional funding for education will come through, Yingst said.

One of the issues for the state Legislature is a $1 billion deficit in the transportation budget.

Governor Scott Walker is opposed to any tax increases, such as a gasoline tax increase, to provide additional revenue for the transportation budget. Instead, the governor is proposing borrowing more money to pay for roads.

Legislators have expressed opposition to the idea of borrowing more money.

The governor has gone on record in the past to say he wanted to increase per-pupil funding by $150 or $200.

According to news reports, state Senate Republicans introduced their own budget July 18.

As for the Colfax school district budget for 2017-2018, state aid is estimated at $5.33 million.

The preliminary budget for Fund 10 expenditures is $8.58 million.

The Fund 10 preliminary budget includes $4.43 million for salaries; $1.85 million for benefits; $961,868 for purchased services; $295,560 in non-capital expenditures; $95,250 for capital equipment; $142,087 for insurance and judgements; $760,092 for interfund transfers and $45,500 for other objects.

Regarding revenues, the 2017-2018 school district budget includes revenue for Fund 10 of $8.6 million; $5,000 for Fund 21/donations; $1.19 million for Fund 27/special education; $251,293 for Fund 38/debt service; $286,115 for Fund 39/debt service; $677 for Fund 46/capital projects; and $424,500 for Fund 50/food service.

The Colfax Board of Education also held an audit review meeting July 17 prior to the budget review meeting.

The Fund 10/general fund balance as of June 30 was $1,852,409.

The Fund 21/donations budget balance as of June 30 was $32,945.

The Fund 27/special education fund had a zero balance as of June 30.

Fund 38/debt service had a balance of $36,258 as of June 30, while Fund 39/debt service had a balance of $121,651.

The Fund 46/capital projects budget had a balance of $64,499 as of June 30, while the Fund 48/capital projects budget had a balance of $4,821,219.

Fund 50/food service had a balance of $138,387 as of June 30.

The Colfax School District’s annual meeting was scheduled for July 24.