LPOSD eyes ways to tighten budget

SANDPOINT — For administrators at the Lake Pend Oreille School District, spring brings more than daffodils and warmer days. Spring is the time that they traditionally roll up their sleeves and get down to work on the district budget for the next fiscal year.

Chief Financial Officer Lisa Hals presented a FY 2017 budget preview to attendees at Tuesday's school board meeting, discussing projected funding and anticipated costs.

Teacher compensation was among the unknown numbers in next year's budget because the district is currently in negotiations with the teacher's union. Hals couldn't identify hard numbers for health insurance or federal appropriations, either. Those figures should be available by the end of April, she said.

Next year's budget also depends upon the success of an upcoming supplemental property tax levy that accounts for just over one-third of the district's projected general fund, said Hals.

Barring any surprises, LPOSD would have about $30 million in its FY 2017 budget. Last year, it had a budget of $30.1 million, nearly $8 million of which came from a voter-approved supplemental levy passed last March. According to the 2016 budget report, the state of Idaho contributed 66.5 percent of the total.

Hals expects the state to increase its funding by about 7.4 percent for next year, which is nearly $1.3 million. However, while this increase may look substantial, LPOSD still has to pare down expenses for FY 2017.

With a projected 9 percent increase in health insurance premiums, the expense of instituting the new math curricula, projected salary increases and more, Hals said that LPOSD probably needs to trim about $182,000 from its FY 2017 budget.

"I've been doing this for 10 or 11 years," she said, "and this is the lowest modification figure I can remember."

"I've been here for 15 years, and it is the lowest I can remember," said Joan Fish, school board vice chair.

The group was in for a surprise, however, when Superintendent Shawn Woodward rose to the dais. He proposed further cuts to the projected FY 2017 budget.

Woodward suggested pass-through reductions to Title 1 and Title VI-B programs.

Title 1 provides federal funding to schools with high numbers of students from low income households while Title VI-B funds special needs programs, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

He also called for staff adjustments in response to changing enrollment numbers.

Also, Woodward noted that if gas prices stay low, funding for district transportation and fuel could be reduced.

Overall, Woodward's suggested budget reductions added more than $100,000 to Hal's suggested $182,000 cuts.

Tuesday's school board meeting was the first in a series of budget workshops, and officials spoke in terms of projections and expectations rather than definitive numbers. The budget overview did not yet require a vote from the board.

The next meeting of the LPOSD board will take place Tuesday, April 12, at the Ponderay Events Center. The public is welcome to attend.