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Amount of drop in district mill rate larger than expected
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JUDA - Despite the Juda school district adding a first-grade teacher this year, the mill rate is down more than expected.

The mill rate for 2008-2009 will be $11.13, down from the $11.64 expected earlier this fall, Superintendent Gary Schuerell said. Last year, the mill rate was $11.65.

The district had to shift things around to pay for the extra position and other unexpected items, Schuerell said. The budget for the 2008-09 school year, as presented at the district's annual meeting in late August, was $3,190,158. That figure was revised to $3,193,470, an increase of $3,312, when it was submitted to the state Department of Public Instruction in early December.

Pam Green, district bookkeeper, outlined the changes that were made to the budget for the school board earlier this month. Undifferentiated curriculum was originally budgeted at $563,517. That number was increased to $614,028 because a first-grade teacher was added at a cost of about $50,000.

Regular curriculum, for the middle and high school, also increased $7,939. Green said the additional money was for supplies. An additional $9,326 was needed in the school building administration budget, which Green said was for an increase in insurance costs.

On the plus side of the budget equation, $33,577 less was spent on tuition paid for open enrollment. The district budgeted about $195,982, while the revised figure was $162,405.

Other savings came from throughout the budget. Those savings included vocational curriculum, $5,497; instructional staff services, $1,912; school board and adminstration, $4,365; internal services, $16,153; and interfund and intergovernmental transfer, $2,960.