Nearly $89 million measure provides for flexibility under COVID-19 measures
CHENEY – The school district board of directors unanimously approved an $88.77 million budget for the 2020-2021 school year at their June 24 Zoom meeting.
The budget consists of five separate funds, with the largest chunk being the just over $70.8 million general fund, which covers most operational functions. Finance Director Jamie Winegart told the board the district would be using some of the existing fund balance of $5.88 million to help maintain programs and keep staffing in place, but that they were in a “good financial position” to end the year with a fund balance 8.05 percent of budget — just over $5.68 million.
Debit service is the second largest component of the overall budget at $9.81 million. Weingart said the fund repays project bonds purchased by the district, with revenues coming from voter-approved tax collections.
“The goal in the budget resolution is really to keep those tax rates as predictable as possible for our entire community,” Weingart said. “The good news for us is our rates have been below that $5 (per $1,000 of assessed property values) threshold and they continue to trend downward for the next couple of years.
Capital Projects Fund is next at $6.75 million. Most money from this fund will pay for the district’s high school renovation work, to be completed this summer, with final bills appearing through the course of the year. Other capital projects approved by voters where funds could be used are land purchases and additional instruction and safety technology.
The Transportation Vehicle fund’s $900,000 in revenue gives the district the ability to purchase up to seven new buses this year if needed. The final budget component, the $474,547 Associated Student Body Fund, pays for all student extracurricular and non-credit curricular classes.
“All the revenues come from either fees, funds or donations,” Weingart said of the ASB fund. “This is funded purely local and it’s funds that they’re handling.”
Weingart said the budget allows the district to reallocate some funding among programs throughout summer as staff works on reopening measures and ongoing needs of the COVID-19 pandemic become more apparent.
“We would be approving the total overall expenditures within each of these funds but with the ability to make some changes within programs as needed within the funds to make sure we’re meeting the needs of the district and the kids,” she told the board.
The only input on the budget came during the public comment portion of the meeting in a letter from resident Bill Johns, who noted the budget looked similar to past years’ budgets instead of one derived under health measures enacted by the state to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
“Those budgets assumed face-to-face teaching,” Johns wrote. “I do not think it is possible to open with a zero tolerance for limited spreading of COVID-19 as that is what we have from the politicians.”
Johns noted his church has been following state guidelines issued to allow for the holding of religious services, using measures such as social distancing, masks and frequent sanitation. Even under these circumstances with an older crowd, personal touching still occurred.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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