School board approves 2011-12 budget

The Fairfield Community School District Board of Directors opened its regular monthly meeting Monday evening at the Administration/Curriculum/Technology Center with three public hearings on the 2011-12 budget, the Fairfield Middle School elevator project and the Trojan Stadium project.

Budget, tax levy approved

District business manager Kim Sheets explained the district?s budget through a Power Point presentation.

?Fairfield Community School district has been experiencing challenging financial problems,? wrote Sheets in the finance packet information. ?We have been struggling with declining enrollment, increasing costs, state budget cuts, less than optimal budget growth from the Legislature, a shortage of cash and insufficient spending authority. We are not alone in these struggles; these are tough economic times. But we have made some very hard decisions in the past few years. We have cut expenditures in many areas. We have tightened our belts, and we are working with less. But we are proud to say that we are still providing an excellent education for the children of this district.?

The total amount of money a district can spend ? its spending authority ? is primarily driven by the number of students in the district multiplied by what each student generates in dollars as set by Iowa Legislature.

Fairfield?s enrollment declined by 42.9, or 2.4 percent, to 1,710 this year. Next year?s budget is based on this year?s enrollment.

This year, the cost per student is $5,883, but the Legislature has not set the allowable growth for next year. Sheets figured the budget with a zero percent allowable growth.

The number of students multiplied by the number of dollars allowed per student equals the regular program district cost. This is declining by $252,381, or 2.4 percent, from the current fiscal year.

Because of its declining enrollment, the district has a budget guarantee, which gives it authority to make up shortfalls in funding through the property tax levy so its funding remains somewhat more constant. The budget guarantee increased by $180,425, or 103.1 percent, compared to the current fiscal year.

The district?s regular program cost with the budget guarantee is declining by $71,956, or 0.7 percent, compared to the current fiscal year.

?This is our ?new money,? said Sheets. ?Unfortunately, ours is negative because of declining enrollment.?

The cost per student is paid for by a combination of funds from the state, known as state aid, and local property tax dollars.

The tax levy is $15.49041 per $1,000 of assessed valuation ? a 0.02847-cent increase from the current year?s tax levy.

The valuation of property in the Fairfield school district increased 4.03 percent for a total taxable valuation, including gas and electric utilities, of $578,245,000. The district?s tax levy will generate $8,960,219.

Sheets said Fairfield?s tax levy ?falls right in the average.? Nearby, Mount Pleasant school district has published a fiscal year 2012 levy as $14.40 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, and Washington published a levy of $16.90 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

No public comments were made, and later in the meeting, the school board approved the school budget, with a property tax levy of $15.49041 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

 Elevator project bids due

The second hearing was on the FMS elevator project.

Auxiliary services director Fred McElwee said the plans to add an elevator and a vestibule on the east side of the school are finalized, and interested contractors attended a pre-bid conference and looked at the project online. Bids are due April 22, and the board can take action on the bids during a special meeting April 25.

McElwee said plans are for work to begin immediately after school dismisses for the summer break and to be completed by Oct. 1.

The project is estimated to cost $217,000.

No public comments were given.

 Norris only bidder on track work

The third public hearing focused on the Trojan Stadium and track project.

McElwee said plans were finalized, and bids from contractors were accepted April 5. Norris Asphalt was the only bidder at $642,034.80.

Board member Margaret Dwyer was surprised only one company bid on the project.

?We were, too,? said McElwee, pointing out several others had attended the pre-bid conference to learn about the project.

The main project includes replacing the track as a whole, new long-jump and high-jump areas, adding a ?run out? in the northeast corner, creating a common finish line, repairing the concrete for the bleachers, correcting drainage from the bleachers, replanting the banks on the south end of the stadium and new fencing. Because the contractor?s bid was lower than expected for the main work, the project also will include replacing the home-side bleachers with orange plastic ones.

McElwee said the alternative plans to construct a new sidewalk at the top of the stadium?s south end and to install handrails on the stairs won?t be included in the project, but could possibly be done in the future.

McElwee said work is to start in May and has a final finish date of Sept. 2 to accommodate high school graduation and football.

No public comments were made, and the board approved accepting Norris?s bid later in the meeting.