Le Mars Daily Sentinel: Local News: LCS board approves $21.9 million budget for FY09-10 (04/14/09)

The Le Mars Community School Board Monday night approved a budget for the 2009-10 school year that will have total revenues of $23,366,587 and total expenditures of $21,986,816 in all funds.

The tax rate for the 2009-10 fiscal year will be $13.36 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, a 65-cent increase from FY 2008-09.

A motion to approve the budget and file the necessary papers to certify it came after a hearing with no one from the public addressing the board.

The largest expense for the budget comes in the budgeted salaries, benefits and fixed costs in the operating fund, which total $15,366,226. That makes up 84.55 percent of the operating fund.

Calling education "a labor intensive operation," Superintendent Dr. Todd Wendt said the number of full-time equivalent employees for the 2009-10 year will be 241.485, down three from the current school year.

That number reflects the reduction of one elementary and two middle school positions due to budget cuts.

Total budget expenditures in each fund are projected as follows:

General Fund - $18,388,636

Management Fund - $305,000

Physical Plant and Equipment (PPEL) - $75,000

Capital Projects (SILO) - $1,300,000

Debt Service - $578,180

Activity - $540,000

Nutrition - $800,000

The school district will take in $6,582,762 in property taxes on a total valuation of $502,729,617 for property in the school district. That valuation is up from $471,051,708 for the 2008-09 budget year.

The school board also implemented the Cash Reserve Levy for the 2009-10 school year, which will generate $500,000. That money will not be spent, but put aside to build up the district's operating fund balance.

Wendt told the board that money is needed in anticipation of declining enrollment and less state money in the next two years.

"There are still so many uncertainties," Wendt said of state funding.

Those uncertainties include a potential across-the-board cut next year and funding 4 percent allowable growth for the 2009-10 school year with federal stimulus money.

Due to those uncertainties, Wendt said he did not build every piece of revenue into the line items on the budget, in case the money does not come in.

Maybe someone out there can explain this to me. The ISL did not pass so they initiated the CRL, because that was they only way to balance the budget. Now the tax rate will increase 5% for 2009-2010. This will give them a surplus of almost 1.4 million for the next school year. Is this not be a big enough surplus that they have to add .5 million from the CRL. I don't get it!

-- Posted by cranemaster on Tue, Apr 14, 2009, at 11:53 AM

.485 of an employee represents just less than a half person. Remove sex organs and half a mind from a half person and you have about .485 of a person

-- Posted by Michael Lamb on Tue, Apr 14, 2009, at 2:17 PM

Seems to me everyone should have been well aware of what was going to happen if the vote failed? Lets just live with this for now.

-- Posted by happydays on Tue, Apr 14, 2009, at 6:36 PM

Sorry, I realize it represents part time assistance. I see someone removed the comment I was referring to so most of the humor is missing. The impersonable/sterility of the numbers in a mind numbing fashion was where the rest of the comment came from. It was to be a little off humor in response to the prior comment which now is missing. There was nothing wrong with their comment. I am growing resentful of the way people's comments are deleted on here without reason, not that a comment was even close to breaking any of the rules. I could understand it it were a disrespectful biased comment of slander. I think I will end my account with the Sentinel soon since they feel so obliged to sensor comments without reason.

-- Posted by Michael Lamb on Tue, Apr 14, 2009, at 9:41 PM

I think I will end my account with the Sentinel soon since they feel so obliged to sensor comments without reason. -- Posted by ADifferentView on Tue, Apr 14, 2009, at 9:41 PM

I'm sure that will break hearts all over the office! I'm sorry, but there is no scholarly quote to go with this comment.

-- Posted by Whiners on Wed, Apr 15, 2009, at 7:27 AM

Sounds a lot like if you don't let me win, I"ll take my ball and go home. What a lame excuse for not taking a paper anymore.

-- Posted by happydays on Wed, Apr 15, 2009, at 8:07 AM

The .485 more than likely represents part time teachers or fill in teachers for vacations, funerals, and the like for full time teachers. It's just like the student enrollment at a less than whole number. It maybe be based on the number of periods taught in a day, week, or months time.

-- Posted by economics101 on Wed, Apr 15, 2009, at 9:32 AM

.485 is an employee who is contracted to works just under 1/2 time. Thus the district is not obligated to provide benefits because they are less that 1/2 time. It is based on hours worked per week which works out to be about 3 hours per day.

-- Posted by Forest on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, at 9:55 AM

I think everyone knows what .485 of a person is when used as a mathematical statistic. The whole conversation has many missing pieces due to censorship. This thread no longer makes any sense when read.

-- Posted by Michael Lamb on Thu, Apr 16, 2009, at 3:12 PM

I think Whiners works for the Sentinal and thats why peoples comments are missing.

-- Posted by MommyinIOWA on Sun, Apr 19, 2009, at 12:14 AM

I think Whiners works for the Sentinal and thats why peoples comments are missing.-- Posted by MommyinIOWA on Sun, Apr 19, 2009, at 12:14 AM

Wrong yet again. As I've stated before, I present arguments with common sense. And when you offer your opinion calmly and with reason, that's what gets heard. Try it sometime.

-- Posted by Whiners on Tue, Apr 21, 2009, at 7:13 AM