By Katjusa Cisar
kcisar@themonroetimes.com
SOUTH WAYNE - The good news is the Black Hawk School District spent less and earned more than expected during the 2011-2012 year.
The bad news is the district is still $115,593 in the red - with the silver lining that the deficit is not as deep as originally budgeted, $435,584.
The school board met last week to review discrepancies between the final budget numbers for 2011-2012 and the budget as it was presented last October.
Jane Crotty, district bookkeeper, explained that the district took in additional revenues that had not previously been budgeted and spent $117,665 less than budgeted.
Additional revenues included a $17,950 reimbursement from a roofing company for faulty roof shingles; $37,188 more than budgeted in open enrollment funds; and $14,819 extra for the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program.
News of the shrunken deficit initially upset board member Chuck Herbst when he found out several weeks ago.
The deficit reported in October was used as an argument to save money by closing the district's middle school in Gratiot. The school board voted to close the school and cut several positions and programs to save money.
Herbst vehemently opposed the school closing as a member of the public and then tried to reverse it when he was elected to the board as a write-in candidate in April.
The rest of the board countered that the district's budget was already cut to the bone and it had no choice but to close the school.
Herbst still maintains the closing could have been avoided had the board agreed to pay employees less and negotiate cheaper employee benefits.
"The truth is, I don't get much support. I can't keep banging my head against the wall, and it doesn't make for a good board member," he said Monday. He plans to finish his three-year term and then "run like hell."
Superintendent Willy Chambers said he presented the budget in October in good faith and based on information available at the time.
"They were being told the truth," he said. "Are there going to be some variances? Yes."
A $218,667 deficit is currently on the books for the 2012-2013 budget.
kcisar@themonroetimes.com
SOUTH WAYNE - The good news is the Black Hawk School District spent less and earned more than expected during the 2011-2012 year.
The bad news is the district is still $115,593 in the red - with the silver lining that the deficit is not as deep as originally budgeted, $435,584.
The school board met last week to review discrepancies between the final budget numbers for 2011-2012 and the budget as it was presented last October.
Jane Crotty, district bookkeeper, explained that the district took in additional revenues that had not previously been budgeted and spent $117,665 less than budgeted.
Additional revenues included a $17,950 reimbursement from a roofing company for faulty roof shingles; $37,188 more than budgeted in open enrollment funds; and $14,819 extra for the Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) program.
News of the shrunken deficit initially upset board member Chuck Herbst when he found out several weeks ago.
The deficit reported in October was used as an argument to save money by closing the district's middle school in Gratiot. The school board voted to close the school and cut several positions and programs to save money.
Herbst vehemently opposed the school closing as a member of the public and then tried to reverse it when he was elected to the board as a write-in candidate in April.
The rest of the board countered that the district's budget was already cut to the bone and it had no choice but to close the school.
Herbst still maintains the closing could have been avoided had the board agreed to pay employees less and negotiate cheaper employee benefits.
"The truth is, I don't get much support. I can't keep banging my head against the wall, and it doesn't make for a good board member," he said Monday. He plans to finish his three-year term and then "run like hell."
Superintendent Willy Chambers said he presented the budget in October in good faith and based on information available at the time.
"They were being told the truth," he said. "Are there going to be some variances? Yes."
A $218,667 deficit is currently on the books for the 2012-2013 budget.