ALBANY - The Albany School District's 2011-12 budget is expected to decrease about 4.8 percent over last year's budget, according to school district officials.
Three school district community members and six school board members approved the 2011-12 budget at the district's annual meeting Monday, Sept. 12. The budget is expected to be about $4.9 million, downfrom the almost $5.16 million spending plan last year.
Reasons for the decrease in budget includes a switch in bus companies; teachers paying a greater percentage of their health insurance plans and into their retirement plan; sharing resources, like staff, with Juda and Monticello; and cutting one percent off across the board, said Albany School Board President Fairy Elmer.
The school district was also able to save money in heating and energy costs. One way the district has already saved money is by using a vestibule entrance that was added to the gym and cafeteria.The tax levy, or the amount school district residents will pay towards to budget, is almost $3.2 million, an increase of $505,502, or 19 percent, from the almost $2.7 million from the 2010-11 school year.
"It (levy) went up more than we anticipated," Elmer said.
The tax rate for the 2011-12 school year will drop to $11.90, compared to $12.01 last school year, a decrease of 11 cents per thousand of assessed value, or about .9 percent. The school tax bill on a $100,000 home would be $1,190.
The district saw an increase in the amount of revenue compared to the amount spent in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years. This school year, the board continued to plan for a surplus budget.
A few things contributed to the surplus, Elmer said. One was the $100,000 jobs money grant that the school district received last year, which the district decided to take early in case it wasn't available next year. The grant is funded by the federal government and allowed the school district to keep people employed, Elmer said. The school district received money from various state programs, including Medicaid, for its special education needs that the district wasn't anticipating.
Elmer said that the district is planning on using a portion of the surplus for this year to pay down the construction debt.
Three school district community members and six school board members approved the 2011-12 budget at the district's annual meeting Monday, Sept. 12. The budget is expected to be about $4.9 million, downfrom the almost $5.16 million spending plan last year.
Reasons for the decrease in budget includes a switch in bus companies; teachers paying a greater percentage of their health insurance plans and into their retirement plan; sharing resources, like staff, with Juda and Monticello; and cutting one percent off across the board, said Albany School Board President Fairy Elmer.
The school district was also able to save money in heating and energy costs. One way the district has already saved money is by using a vestibule entrance that was added to the gym and cafeteria.The tax levy, or the amount school district residents will pay towards to budget, is almost $3.2 million, an increase of $505,502, or 19 percent, from the almost $2.7 million from the 2010-11 school year.
"It (levy) went up more than we anticipated," Elmer said.
The tax rate for the 2011-12 school year will drop to $11.90, compared to $12.01 last school year, a decrease of 11 cents per thousand of assessed value, or about .9 percent. The school tax bill on a $100,000 home would be $1,190.
The district saw an increase in the amount of revenue compared to the amount spent in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years. This school year, the board continued to plan for a surplus budget.
A few things contributed to the surplus, Elmer said. One was the $100,000 jobs money grant that the school district received last year, which the district decided to take early in case it wasn't available next year. The grant is funded by the federal government and allowed the school district to keep people employed, Elmer said. The school district received money from various state programs, including Medicaid, for its special education needs that the district wasn't anticipating.
Elmer said that the district is planning on using a portion of the surplus for this year to pay down the construction debt.