It was a grim budget cycle for the Southern Lyon County school district as the school board passed the 2009-2010 budget Monday evening. The school board also filled a vacant board position during the meeting.
Mike Argabright, superintendent of Southern Lyon County School District 252, said this morning that there were few surprises with the budget, but it was not a comfortable budget cycle. The bond and interest payments went up approximately 4 mills because of a reduction in state aid, Argabright said.
“Assessed valuation went up and student population went down,” Argabright said. “That wasn’t something we planned on there. That one was a surprise.”
The Local Option Budget was increased by approximately 5 mills, Argabright added.
“That’s after we made $280,000 worth of cuts last spring,” he said. “It’s been a tough year.”
The reductions came in the form of 4.5 teaching positions and other cuts, Argabright said.
Facility-wise, the board approved architectural plans for the Hartford High School concession stand, the locker room and the rest room project. Ground will be broken when the final approval is given by the state architect. Two major donors will fund the project and the board will fund the remainder of the project through the district’s capital outlay fund. The board also approved construction of a storage building in Olpe.
In other business, the board welcomed Charles J. Steffes as a new board member.