Figures discussed Tuesday are preliminary
By GLEN WERLING
It’s budget time again for Northern Wells Schools and Tuesday evening, Superintendent Mike Springer unveiled the 2023 version to the school board members.
With the workshop Tuesday night, the timeline for next year’s budget was launched. The next step is on Sept. 27 to seek permission from the school board members to advertise the budget on the state’s Gateway local government budget website. Springer plans to simultaneously post the budget on the school corporation’s website.
Also with the budget, the school corporation will be submitting its capital projects fund plan and the school bus replacement plan for 2023. Several years ago, the state approved legislation to separate bus replacement and capital projects fund plans from the overall budget process.
Along with advertising the budget and the two plans, the school board will set Oct. 11 as a public hearing for all three. If there are no major objections by the public to any of the three, they will be adopted at the school board’s Oct. 25 meeting. Two days later, the budget and the plans will be submitted to the department of local government finance for its scrutiny and eventual final approval.
Springer explained to the board members that in 2023, Northern Wells will receive $6,495 per student in state tuition support. That’s up from the 2022 total of $5,995. The amount received for each student identified as requiring special education is $17,197.
The preliminary numbers the school corporation has generated for 2023 to this point are:
• $445,912 for the Rainy day Fund.
• $3,519,019 for Debt Service Fund.
• $990,500 for Referendum Debt Fund — exempt capital — Post 2009.
• $17,303,894 for the Education Fund.
• $9,372,091 for the Operations Fund.
The total budget estimate is $31,631,416. The maximum estimated funds to be raised is $8,916.934.
The certified net assessed value of the school district for 2023 is $982,582,678.
The budget estimates could change between now and the board’s Sept. 27 meeting, however they likely will not change by much. The budget will be discussed again at the next meeting when the board will grant permission for it to be advertised.
Once it is advertised, the numbers can only be lowered, they cannot be raised.
In other business, a public hearing was held for the collective bargaining process by the school board with the Norwell Classroom Teachers Association.
The bargaining window starts Thursday, Sept. 15 and continues through Nov. 15. Bargaining items are salaries, wages and fringe benefits only, no language. Salaries must start at $40,000 for a new teacher with no experience. For fringe benefits, 45 percent of the state tuition support must be used for teacher salaries and benefits. If the state tuition support increases, school districts cannot decrease teacher salaries.
No one from the public was present to ask questions or express concerns about the collective bargaining process.
As part of the collective bargaining process, Springer explained that, for the 2021-22 school year, 15 teachers at Norwell High School were classified as highly effective and 27 were deemed effective. None were found to require improvement. At the middle school, 30 teachers were deemed highly effective, six were effective and none need improvement. At Lancaster Central Elementary School, 16 were highly effective, 19 were effective and one teacher was found to need improvement. At Ossian Elementary, 13 teachers were highly effective, 18 were effective and four were found in need of improvement. The district total is 74 highly effective, 70 effective and five improvement necessary.
None of the teachers in the school corporation were labeled ineffective.
Tuesday night the board members also adopted a calendar for the 2023-24 school year.
The first staff day will be Friday, Aug. 4 followed by the first student day Wednesday, Aug. 9. Fall break will be Oct. 16-20, 2023, and winter break will be Dec. 21 through Jan. 2. Spring break will be March 22-29. That will include Good Friday, which is March 29 in 2024. The final day for students will be Tuesday, May 21, 2024, with the final staff day May 22. Graduation day in 2024 will be June 2.
This was the calendar that was favored by parents and staff members.
In other business, the board members:
• Reviewed with Springer bids the school corporation has received to build wrap-around bleachers behind the backstop at the high school baseball diamond. The bleachers will replace the existing home bleachers and those will be relocated down the left foul line fence. The current visitors bleachers will be moved further down the right foul line fence.
The bids for the new bleachers were received from three vendors and the costs will vary based upon whether or not the first row is at ground level or if it is elevated. If the bleachers are elevated, it will cost more. The bleachers include an elevated press box.
Bids received were from Bleacher Experts — $158,000, Lee Company — $164,060; and Southern Bleachers — $173,000. If the bleachers are elevated, the bids jump to $197,000 from Bleacher Experts, $193,060 from Lee Company and $195,000 from Southern Bleacher Company.
Facilities and grounds supervisor Adam Heckber told the board members that all three companies are reputable.
The information was provided to the board by Springer as FYI and will be discussed further at the next meeting.
• Learned from Heckber that the new lights should be installed at the high school baseball diamond sometime in October.
• After considerable discussion, adopted a resolution authorizing the transfer of not to exceed 15 percent or an amount not to exceed $2.5 million annually from the education fund to the operations fund, to reimburse the operations fund for expenses that are not allocated to student instruction and learning. “This is to just make sure the entirety of our budgets are balanced,” Springer said. The board members placed the stipulation on their approval that the resolution must be revisited annually.
• Adopted a resolution to reduce the 2022 Rainy Day Fund by $445,912 in order to maximize 2023 budget appropriations. The resolution is just the school corporation stating that it is not going to spend that money out of the Rainy Day Fund this year, Springer explained, and will carry it over to the 2023 budget.
• Accepted anonymous donations for the B track program of $157 and for the B cross country program if $157; $250 to the volleyball program; and $1,000 for the girls soccer program.
• Accepted the retirement of Sue Springer as Central office deputy treasurer.
• Accepted the resignation of Neil Stinson as junior varsity baseball coach.
• Hired: Herb Bergman as a part-time teacher at Norwell High School; Justin Grant as the assistant swim coach at the high school; and Tia Weimer and Debra Yohman as food service employees.
• Accepted a plaque from Promoting Achievement through technology and instruction for all Students as or PATINS in recognition of the school corporation receiving an AEM grant to implement technology to better assist students with learning disabilities. Speech language pathologist Patty Atkins used a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate to the board members how the technology has benefited one student in particular.
Prior to the meeting, the board members held a reception for personnel who retired at the end of the 2021-22 school year.
glenw@news-banner.com
