Funding And Start Date Moving Targets For School Board

Oskaloosa, Iowa – This week, the Oskaloosa School Board worked towards certifying their budget and setting the 2015-16 calendar. Two items that are moving targets from the Iowa Legislature right now, as the next year’s school funding hasn’t yet been set, as well as a school start date, which awaits a decision from the Legislature.

“It does not look good for K-12 education at the legislature,” said Oskaloosa School Superintendent Russ Reiter, in regards to his outlook on school funding being increased. “If you get a chance to write your congressman, excuse me, representative from the legislature, a senator or a member of the House, we need some voices out there.”

Reiter thinks there is a possibility of schools getting a 2.5% increase, “but everything we’re being told is it’s, 1.25% or nothing. I’m fearful for the nothing.”

Currently, the Iowa House is looking at a funding increase of 1.25%, that would add an additional $100 million to the school budgets this fiscal year. The Iowa Senate has a 4% increase, or just over 200 million, for school funding in their legislation. When the two houses meet they must reach a compromise, or the additional funds will revert to a 0% increase.

Also in the Iowa Legislature is the target of school start date. “What’s coming from the Legislature is really a lot of questions,” Reiter said about the moving target of school start date for the 2015-16 school year. “If they don’t come to a compromise, it will continue to be the 31st,” said Reiter.

For now, the school start date is set for August 31st of 2015 by the Board, but allows for flexibility in the event the Iowa Legislature settles the school start debate. The school system would then be able to review the calendar.

The popular move in the Legislature, so far, is having a start date of August 23.

Also seen by the Board, was a presentation by the OMS science Professional Learning Community, and the Oskaloosa High School Pheasants Forever Chapter.

The Pheasants Forever Chapter is looking to help add wildflowers to the land north of Garland-Van Arkel-Langkamp Funeral Home, where the district recently reworked a water storage area.

Also approved was a request by teacher Laura Ross to help facilitate an education trip to the United Kingdom next summer 2015-16 school year. This would be a non-school sponsored educational trip much like the Washington DC trip that is taken by OHS students.

Student fees for the 2015-16 calendar year were also approved, with technology fee being implemented for the middle school laptop program.

The 2015-16 Certified Budget hearing date was set by the Board on Monday. The public hearing is set for the next regular School Board meeting of April 13. The budget will be published on March 30th for public review. The total budget would be nearly 38.3 million dollars for the district in fiscal year 2015-16. The past school year budget was 36 million dollars.

Reiter said that a potential property tax increase could be in the school district’s future to help supplement the school’s budget. Reiter said that because the state aid won’t be enough to cover expenses, “we’ll have to make up the money from somewhere else”.

Up for discussion will be a potential 500 thousand dollar shortfall that the district is facing for the current fiscal year.