MONROE - Taxpayers in the Monroe school district will get some relief in the 2011-12 budget, but the district's financial obstacles won't go away.
The proposed tax levy at the Monroe School Board's annual meeting Monday was $11.18 million. However, after the district received final state aid numbers Oct. 14, the levy will be amended to $11.09 million, a 9.67 percent decrease from last year.
The tax rate will be $11.13 per $1,000 of assessed value, a 10.6 percent decrease from last year. Monroe School District Business Manager Ron Olson said the owner of a $100,000 home will see their school taxes decrease about $133. School taxes on a $100,000 home would be $1,113.
The board couldn't approve the amended levy Monday because it wasn't posted before the annual meeting. The board is expected to approve the budget and amended levy at its meeting Monday, Oct. 24.
A handful of residents attended Monday's meeting, but none spoke.
The district is receiving about $1.6 million less in general state aid this year compared to last year, but about $99,000 more than first projected.
And there are still challenges that lie ahead after the $35.6 million 2011-12 budget, which is a decrease of 5.54 percent from last year. Olson said the district will operate this year with a deficit of about $811,000 deficit that district leaders hope to offset by bringing in this year's budget less than expected or using the $4000,000 the district carried over from last year's budget. The district has brought in its budget less than expected for five straight years.
"We wanted to have a budget with as less of an impact on kids as we could have," Olson said.
The budget includes the $1.87 million in cuts the district made after taxpayers rejected a four-year, $8 million non-recurring referendum in April. Under the budget proposal, the district will spend $27.75 million on general fund expenditures this year, down 7.54 percent compared to last year. Cuts included eliminating 11.4 teaching positions, eliminating 5.9 support staff positions, slashing the technology budget $325,000, reducing the maintenance budget $100,000 and trimming the co-curricular budget $24,500.
"There were a lot of tough choices," said Monroe School District Superintendent Larry Brown. "There was a lot of hard work that went into this budget. I'm hopeful our community sees the results."
The budget includes $450,543 in one-time Federal EdJob funding, a $380,000 declining enrollment exemption and $190,000 as part of the state's Microsoft lawsuit settlement credits that will not carry over to next year.
"Before we even start looking at next year, we are looking at about an $1.8 million hole," Olson said.
The budget also includes a salary schedule and step freeze in the contract with the Monroe Education Association, and increasing the amount teachers pay into the state retirement system to 5.9 percent of their salary.
Olson said the open enrollment revenue driven by the virtual school is expected to drop from $450,000, a decline of almost 20 percent.
There are other unique funding challenges in Monroe. Olson said Monroe is the only district in the state that uses a portion of its levy for the library. There is $896,990 in the budget that will be funneled to the Monroe Public Library.
Olson said the district is saving $110,000 to $120,000 a year on interest by refinancing building debt costs. The building debt costs are set to expire in 2019.
The board also voted to continue to not receive any pay for school board and executive committee meetings.
Deb Thompson, a Title I math teacher at Parkside School and the liaison between the teacher's union and school board, commended board members for not taking any pay for meetings.
The proposed tax levy at the Monroe School Board's annual meeting Monday was $11.18 million. However, after the district received final state aid numbers Oct. 14, the levy will be amended to $11.09 million, a 9.67 percent decrease from last year.
The tax rate will be $11.13 per $1,000 of assessed value, a 10.6 percent decrease from last year. Monroe School District Business Manager Ron Olson said the owner of a $100,000 home will see their school taxes decrease about $133. School taxes on a $100,000 home would be $1,113.
The board couldn't approve the amended levy Monday because it wasn't posted before the annual meeting. The board is expected to approve the budget and amended levy at its meeting Monday, Oct. 24.
A handful of residents attended Monday's meeting, but none spoke.
The district is receiving about $1.6 million less in general state aid this year compared to last year, but about $99,000 more than first projected.
And there are still challenges that lie ahead after the $35.6 million 2011-12 budget, which is a decrease of 5.54 percent from last year. Olson said the district will operate this year with a deficit of about $811,000 deficit that district leaders hope to offset by bringing in this year's budget less than expected or using the $4000,000 the district carried over from last year's budget. The district has brought in its budget less than expected for five straight years.
"We wanted to have a budget with as less of an impact on kids as we could have," Olson said.
The budget includes the $1.87 million in cuts the district made after taxpayers rejected a four-year, $8 million non-recurring referendum in April. Under the budget proposal, the district will spend $27.75 million on general fund expenditures this year, down 7.54 percent compared to last year. Cuts included eliminating 11.4 teaching positions, eliminating 5.9 support staff positions, slashing the technology budget $325,000, reducing the maintenance budget $100,000 and trimming the co-curricular budget $24,500.
"There were a lot of tough choices," said Monroe School District Superintendent Larry Brown. "There was a lot of hard work that went into this budget. I'm hopeful our community sees the results."
The budget includes $450,543 in one-time Federal EdJob funding, a $380,000 declining enrollment exemption and $190,000 as part of the state's Microsoft lawsuit settlement credits that will not carry over to next year.
"Before we even start looking at next year, we are looking at about an $1.8 million hole," Olson said.
The budget also includes a salary schedule and step freeze in the contract with the Monroe Education Association, and increasing the amount teachers pay into the state retirement system to 5.9 percent of their salary.
Olson said the open enrollment revenue driven by the virtual school is expected to drop from $450,000, a decline of almost 20 percent.
There are other unique funding challenges in Monroe. Olson said Monroe is the only district in the state that uses a portion of its levy for the library. There is $896,990 in the budget that will be funneled to the Monroe Public Library.
Olson said the district is saving $110,000 to $120,000 a year on interest by refinancing building debt costs. The building debt costs are set to expire in 2019.
The board also voted to continue to not receive any pay for school board and executive committee meetings.
Deb Thompson, a Title I math teacher at Parkside School and the liaison between the teacher's union and school board, commended board members for not taking any pay for meetings.