WBCSD OKs $10.4 million district budget

PRIEST RIVER — Putting together the West Bonner County School District’s 2019-2020 budget posed a bit of a challenge this year for businesses manager and board clerk Jennifer Anselmo.

While the district’s two-year, $6 million supplemental levy passed by a narrow margin in May, it was the initial failure of the levy in March that set her back.

“I was forced to kind of put together a best-case scenario and hope that our levy passed,” Anselmo said during the district’s June 19 meeting.

WBCSD trustees approved the $10,458,929 budget during the June meeting, which went into effect with the district’s new fiscal year on Monday. Because of the late approval of the levy by voters, Anselmo said teacher negotiations were still underway in June.

“What we are going to see is we are going to approve a budget, and teacher negotiations are still happening as well as meet and confer with our classified folk, so we’ll see probably two budget amendments this year instead of one,” Anselmo said.

The budget is based on 943 students with an average daily attendance of 95 percent, Anselmo said. Of the $10.4 million, the supplemental levy and other local taxes cover $3,176,000, and the state contribution is $6,154,830. At the top of the list of expenditures, $5,786,298 is slated for salaries, and $2,157,612 for benefits. This year’s $3 million supplemental levy covers a general fund shortfall of $2,128,737 and $378,653 in student activities. The levy also funds class fees, a school resource officer, technology supplies, library and school funds, curriculum, tuition credit payments, longevity stipends, facilities and a bus purchase.

The budget also includes $256,200 in contingency funds for various capital improvement projects. Of that, $160,000 is set aside for the lighting at the high school football stadium, because it has become a safety issue as the poles are about to fall over. The track will be damaged during replacement, so that will be refinished as well, Anselmo said. Some of the money will also go to the boiler at the junior high, as well as to seal coat all of the district’s parking lots. The capital improvements were included in the “best-case scenario” assumptions, along with a 6.5 percent increase in insurance plans and $50,430 for the 21st Century Community Learning Center program.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.