The District 196 school board approved its final budget for the 2017-18 school year at its Jan. 8 meeting. The final budget includes about $5 million in deficit spending, according to a budget document released by the district.
The Jan. 8 meeting was the first for newly elected member Craig Angrimson. Angrimson won election over incumbent Gary Huusko after receiving support from District 196's teachers' union. Huusko also appeared at the Jan. 8 meeting, his first since losing the election, to give a farewell speech.
The school board re-elected Chair Jackie Magnuson to chair the board. Board meetings under Magnuson's tenure have tended to be brief, with little discussion or debate, and typically open with presentations congratulating students or staff.
The district’s total budget for the school year to start in September is more than $512 million, according to a budget document released by the district. The largest portion of the budget, about 80 percent, is the district’s general fund. About 12 percent, $62 million, is the district’s building construction fund. Debt service accounts for nearly 4 percent of the budget, $18.7 million.
The school district is planning to spend $359.6 million from the general fund. The district is expecting about $354.7 million in revenues. Most of the expenses are for staff salaries and benefits, according to the district. The budget includes more than $6.6 million for co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, $6.3 million for English as a second language students, $7.6 million for elementary school administration $5.1 million for technology support and more than $2 million for truancy and social work services.
The budget for the superintendent and school board staff is nearly $740,000.
The general fund expenditure budget is $1.61 million more than estimated in the preliminary budget, mainly because of an increase of more than $1 million in purchased services and a nearly $1 million increase in the budget for supplies and materials.
The public version of the budget does not include details of itemized expenses, providing only general information about the district’s spending.