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R-1 Board OKs 2021-22 budget
NEW MADRID, Mo. - During its June meeting the New Madrid County R-1 Board of Education approved the budget for its 2021-22 school year.
Dr. Sam Duncan, superintendent, called the budget complicated, pointing out it includes the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds or ESSER II monies. These are federal appropriations made to schools in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also built into the 2021-22 budget is the funding provided by voters with the approval of Proposition Safe and Secure Schools and the expenditures for the many improvements underway across the district.
“Overall, the budget is salaries, benefits and whatever we need to do to keep the lights on and to have school, including transportation and facility needs. Basically 80 percent of our expenditures are always salaries and benefits of employees,” he said. “But we will be spending this summer roughly half a million dollars on summer improvements.”
During the course of the coming fiscal year, the superintendent estimated the district would spend about half of the ESSER II funding. In deciding how to spend that money, all faculty and staff were asked what they needed to do their jobs better.
After working with building principals and the technical skills program director, a five and half-page list of items was submitted to the school board and approved.
Duncan said the list was wide ranging from additional text books for the classrooms to athletic equipment to microscopes. He noted the elementary schools will get some additional iPads and chargers and 35 classroom projectors will be replaced across the district.
“Every building received what they asked for. Also it does impact the band, the athletics, the classes, the nurses, the counselors,” he explained.
The federal funds were used to pay for summer maintenance needs. Also it paid for the district to add new high resolution on-board cameras as well as stop-arm cameras on its more than 40 buses.
‘It has really felt good,” Duncan said with a smile about how the district was using the ESSER II funds. “The things on this list are going to help us. They are going to help everybody do a better job and that feels good.”
Rising construction costs prompted District officials to go “back to the drawing board,” Duncan said. “We looked at everything being spent . . . and started whittling away at those numbers.”
Duncan said he and other school officials meet weekly with the architect, contractors and others to look at ways to continue to make the best use of the bond monies.
“There is a light at the end of tunnel that we will be able to do everything we promised even with the inflated costs,” he said. “One really nice thing is because we have this project happening right now we are able to meet our facility needs, thanks to our patrons. We are also able to plan the construction of our FEMA shelter which will certainly be a strong addition to our facilities in this school district. We are poised right now like never before in recent history to plan our work and work our plan and make great things happen for our students.”
Duncan emphasized the budget will end balanced in June 2022 and with an operating reserve of three to four months.
In a related matter during the June meeting, the policy dealing with extra-duty salary for staff members was updated to include new coaching positions and removing activities no longer offered. Extra duty salaries will now be offered to the archery coach and assistant archery coach at the Middle School and High School, the Middle School softball coach and the freshman basketball coach.
In other action by the board,
• The resignations of Erica Lyons as assistant softball coach and Christina Hodges as student council sponsor at New Madrid County Central High School were accepted.
• The name of Renaissance program was changed to Green and Gold Club.
• The Board reviewed the CD investments and implemented procedures involving federal programs and projects.