Boyceville school board approves final budget numbers, sets levy and mill rate
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BOYCEVILLE — At its October 26 regular meeting, the Board of Education for the Boyceville Community School District approved the 2022-23 budget and set the levy. The board also approved a pair of hires and accepted several donations.
With just three members present – Jeremy Mittlestadt, who served as acting president, Erik Evenson and Amber Carlsrud, the board approved the final figures for the 2022-2023 budget. Included were a General Fund (Fund 10) with revenues of $9,685,543 and expenditures of $10,119,446 along with balanced revenues and expenditures in the Activity Fund (Fund 21) of $200,000, Special Education Fund (Fund 27) of $1,695,171, Non-Referendum Debt Service (Fund 38) of $46,477 and Food Service (Fund 50) of $440,000. The Referendum approved debt or Fund 39 shows revenues totaling $1,400,000 against expenses of $1,401,551 and the Community Service or Fund 80 lists $408,500 of revenue with $90,335 in expenses.
The board also set the local tax levy at $3,307,455. That breaks down into $1,460,978 for Fund 10, $46,477 for Fund 38, $1,400,000 for Fund 39 and $400,000 for Fund 80. That gives a final mill rate of $7.94846 or about a $7.95 tax rate per $1,000 of equalized property value.
In personnel matters, Austin Sandow was approved for the open middle school basketball coaching position and Don Heldt was hired for the newly created, full-time position as the district’s transportation coordinator.
The board also accepted five donations which include $2,500 from the Alfalfa Fest proceeds, $450 from the Dunn County Fish and Game Association to assist with purchases for the physical education department’s archery program, a pair of Ann Marie grants – one for $2,020 to used toward the purchase of Moby Max subscriptions at Tiffany Creek Elementary (TCE) and the other in the amount of $665 for the purchase of new welding helmets and gloves for the high school agriculture department, and finally a $500 3M volunteer Match Grant that was secured by 3M employee Dewey Marlette and will be used at TCE.
During administrative reports, middle school/high school principal Patrick Gretzlock highlighted attendance and a new student of the month program.
Gretzlock told members that he has begun working with Vivian Hanestad, district attendance secretary, to address attendance concerns in his building. In addition to working with families whose student(s) have more than three unexcused absences, Gretzlock noted that he and Hanestad had also begun to recognize middle school students who have had perfect attendance on a monthly basis. In September, 11 eight graders and 19 seventh graders had perfect attendance. All those students were entered into a drawing and one student per grade level received a $5 gift card to the Boyceville Cenex.
The “Student of the Month” program will use a chosen characteristic each month to recognize students said Gretzlock. All district staff have been invited to nominate students in the middle and high school based on that month’s chosen characteristic. September’s characteristic was Optimism which drew five high school nominations and four middle school nominations. Parker Coombs was selected as the high school student of the month while Aven Church was named as the middle school student of the month. Each recipient of the student of the month award will be recognized in the Tribune Press Reporter, have a designated parking space for themselves and/or parents for a month, a lunch at a local establishment and a piece of Bulldog swag.
Becky Hanestad, district special educations director and Title IX Coordinator, introduced new special education and regular classroom teachers at the middle school and TCE to the board. Hanestad, who has also been overseeing TCE during principal DeeAnn Thompson’s maternity leave, updated the board on upcoming events and professional development opportunities.
In other action, the board:
•Approved the Spring 2023 semester of Start College Now and Early College Credit applications as presented by guidance counselor Karlene Berry.
•Approved and authorized superintendent Nick Kaiser to spend up to $22,000 on an used van.
•Approved the school safety drill documentation.