Budget finalized by Ellsworth School Board

Talk about it

The 2009-10 budget was finalized by the Ellsworth School Board Monday.

The total levy of $7,692,771 was certified by the board after members adopted the budget. A mill rate of 8.70 (tax per $1,000 of valuation) was included.

Superintendent Barry Cain explained certain pieces of information, regarding state aids, student enrollment, grants and the like, weren’t available when the initial budget proposal was presented during the district’s annual meeting in August. That missing information was received on Oct. 15, Cain said.

The superintendent reminded about the board’s earlier decision to reduce the ending fund balance in the budget, partly because of the middle school roof replacement project. He later found the balance still has a healthy amount, but isn’t at the level recommended by district auditors. It previously was at 17 percent of the total and now is around 11 percent, he said.

“We can’t continually do that,” he said, recognizing a significant number of budget cuts were made over the winter.

On the revenue side, Cain noted state aid has decreased slightly--by approximately $6,000--from last year. Money “back-loaded” into the budget from the federal government stimulus program makes it appear otherwise. At $16,739.782, total revenue is also down from last year, he added.

As for expenditures, the interfund operating transfers amount of $1,530,814 reflects a one-time reduction in maintenance of effort due to the federal stimulus money, he said. The food service fund, which can be carried over from the previous year, features a $42,140 beginning fund balance, and lunch and breakfast prices were kept the same. He was confident about this arrangement, though mindful of possible capital expenditures for food service equipment.

In the community service fund, he mentioned a $250,000 levy for the Klaas-Jonas Community Swimming Pool. Despite this fund’s beginning fund balance being a negative $144,414, its ending fund balance is a negative $98,414, showing the district’s headed in the right direction for reducing this balance, as prescribed by the auditors.

Read more in the print version of the Herald Oct. 28.

Tags: pierce county, local news, school board, ellsworth, budget