Not one Emporia school district patron showed up for a public budget workshop Wednesday evening in the Mary Herbert Education Center.
Board members were surprised that no one from the public was present; however, they went over budget figures again. The board will have formal approval of the budget on the agenda for next Wednesday’s meeting.
Board members held a local mill levy increase to 1.77 mills, which would add a total of $6,147 to property taxes. The additional property taxes would be split among everyone who pays property taxes within the Emporia school district.
A decrease in property valuations of approximately 3.3 percent is responsible for the minimal increase per taxpayer.
The district last year asked for 49.201 mills, or $8,361,149 from property taxes. This year, the mill levy is 50.973, which will generate $8,367,296.
Superintendent John Heim said earlier that the lowered property valuations this year are a contrast from previous years, when valuations went up and school levies remained approximately flat.
“Now the opposite has happened and people are confused,” he said in the earlier interview. “The ratio works both ways. If your valuation goes down and your mill levy goes up, you’re going to raise about the same amount of taxes.
“What we’ve had is just 180 degrees this year from what we had. … It’s not surprising that people are having trouble understanding this.”
Assistant Superintendent of Business Rob Scheib went through a PowerPoint presentation that showed comparisons of last year’s allotments and budgets, estimates of monies for students for which the state pays “weighted,” or additional funds, and other considerations that affect the district’s budget.
The district budget, after anticipated state allotments are received, is $30,740,784, or $30,442 less than the $30,771,226 of the previous school year, which was based on a 98 percent “floor” the legislature guaranteed to the district because of downsizing at Tyson Fresh Meats. The floor was intended to buoy the district, in case student enrollment decreased dramatically.
Estimates of student losses continue to be difficult to define. Officials estimate that up to 100 more students could be lost from the district this year when official enrollment figures are determined by the state in the fall.
The state legislature earlier this year retroactively dropped its per-pupil aid rate from $4,433 to $4,400 for the 2008-09 school year. The legislature followed with another per-pupil state aid cut to $4,218 for the 2009-10 school year, and included several other cuts in payments in other categories.
During the past fiscal year, however, unexpected state payments under the 98 percent floor guarantee brought in about $2.2 million more than the district had anticipated, leaving its finances healthier than earlier projected.
About $400,000 of those funds were used to add a 1.5 percent additional wage increase for district staff members. Their original wage increases had been set at 1.5 percent, with a provision that a second 1.5 percent would be added if more money became available.
The district had eliminated 11.5 teaching positions the past fiscal year in preparation for a drop in full-time equivalency enrollment numbers.
For the current fiscal year, the district estimates that, including federal funds for special education and other line items, approximately $69.15 million will be available.