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| Superintendent delivers annual address |
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| News | |||
| Written by Jesse Trimble | |||
| Wednesday, 18 November 2009 09:00 | |||
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At the USD 416 District School Board meeting Monday night, Superintendent Sharon Zoellner discussed percentages, the budget and what Louisburg students have been achieving recently. Zoellner began the meeting with percentages that have changed in the USD 416 school district recently, which included a 60-student increase overall in the district, an increase in minority groups within schools, the amount of licensed teachers and the current number of teacher’s aides and support staff members. She went on to discuss the No Child Left Behind Act and how the Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, proficiency levels have been instated to assist students in improving their skills in reading, math and other courses by the year 2014. “Around 95 percent of our students reached proficiency in reading — 96.6 percent,” Zoellner said with a smile. But, despite improvements among students, Zoellner confronted the issue of potential budget cuts by showing a presentation from the Kansas Association of School Boards by Mark Tallman. “The seriousness of the situation is newer,” Zoellner commented after the meeting. She added that there have been cuts during the last 10 to 15 years, however, she said some audience members had never seen potential cuts like the ones many schools are currently facing. “It’s important for everyone to be informed,” she said. The slide show presentation highlighted potential cuts to spending and what school board members would have to be considering over the next few weeks, or until Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson reaches a decision on what will need to be cut. The two largest areas of spending for schools goes toward capital outlay, which includes maintenance, equipment and construction work, as well as funds on hand for bond payments. Options for all Kansas schools to save money include consolidating districts, closing rural schools in urban settings, reducing staff and purchases and cutting payroll, according to Tallman’s slideshow. The state also has the option of raising tax revenue. Zoellner made a point by reiterating that the cuts “could possibly impact” the USD 416 school district. “We will certainly have to make some cuts,” she said. She also demonstrated how much could be cut in years to come. One example would be the $443,000 Federal Stimulus money that will be cut no matter what. Currently in the General Fund for USD 416, which is used for district operating expenses, holds $10,185,626 and the Contingency Reserve Fund holds $700,000. The reserve fund is only to be used in emergencies, however, and can only be used once. Zoellner explained to her audience that while that money is good to have, it’s not something the district can rely on in the future. For now she said teachers, staff and administration members and school board members should review every expenditure, watch wasteful uses of utilities, review cuts from last spring to see what the schools might want to see brought back and to speak with state legislators. “We must be mindful of how this impacts our community and it’s an opportunity for us to make sure we rise to the challenge, but also scrutinize what we’re looking at,” she said. Zoellner made sure to end on a positive note for the evening — detailing how each school in the USD 416 district has gone above and beyond with community service, activities, proficiency levels and projects going on at each school.
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