Discussion and approval of motion to readjust the FY 2016 general fund balance and to engage an outside consultant during consideration of potential staffing cuts was approved by the Becker Board of Education during their regular meeting Monday afternoon.  Other items on the agenda included reports from two classroom teachers and an analysis of the current school lunch program.

 

Language teacher Amber Einerwold addressed the board at the beginning of the meeting to urge them not to remove the eighth-grade Spanish language class from the curriculum in the 2015-16 school year. She stated that learning a second language is vital to student development, and will be particularly important when Becker students leave the district and enter college and the workforce.

 

Learning about other cultures and standards will also be a key to success in any career field, Einerwold said, and travel and languages will enable students to broaden their horizons in the future. Removal of the language program would be detrimental to students at this point, and she closed by urging the board not to consider removing the eighth-grade program.

 

According to information presented by Spt. Stephen Malone, the original general fund adjustment proposal from the February board meeting has been modified after consideration of community and teacher input.

 

The new proposal includes expense reductions of $210,400 (compared to $235,400), with revenue increases in transportation, activity fees and Federal Special Education funding of $70,000 (compared to $60,000), for a total budget adjustment of $280,400, compared to a $295,400 reduction in the earlier draft.

 

Other changes from the original proposal include a change in one full time position reduction from 3.4 to 2.3 per cent; return of one first grade classroom teacher to reduce first grade class size from 26 to 23; returning middle school music lessons; offering eighth-grade health classes in lieu of a world languages/cultures class to increase wellness education; a $20,000 budget adjustment in the administrative budget; $10,000 in custodian salaries to be charged to the Community Ed. budget for activities pertaining to that office. These changes will cause the unreserved general fund balance to increase by $65,000, instead of the previous $80,000.

 

During the discussion, Board Member Mark Swanson asked if the district had examined every possible reduction in the budget, or whether the current reductions were only “arbitrary numbers.” He also asked about the $10,000 activity fee increase proposal, and whether the activity committee was considering higher fees in the future.  Board Member Bryan Olson said the committee had considered a $20,000 figure, but had settled on the $10,000 figure at present, which is in keeping with area programs.

 

Swanson also asked if funded sports programs in the district can pay for themselves through revenues raised, and “if not, why not?”  Chairman Aaron Jurek also stated the current proposal contains no cuts in administrative staff at Becker, while other area schools have made reductions in those areas.  Malone said that he understood why he would appear to be “biased” in this area, and he suggested that a neutral third-party be engaged to report to the board on the issue.

 

Vice-Chairman Jason Kindred suggested that the district have a one year “grace period” before making reductions, after which cuts would be needed or a referendum increase approved.  Olson stated the board should approve the plan now, and make adjustments as needed in the future.  Kindred agreed, saying the board should accept the plan and engage a consultant to look at all areas of potential reductions.

 

At the conclusion of the discussion, the board voted to proceed with the revised budget plan, with the addition of an outside consultant to study staff reductions.  Voting in favor of the measure were Jurek, Kindred, Olson and Lori Molus.  Swanson voted against the motion, and board member Phil Norgaard, who was monitoring the meeting from a remote location, did not vote.

 

Director of Food Services Renee Arbogast presented an analysis of the costs involved in opting out of the National School Lunch Program.  The report was compiled by Arbogast as the final project for her MBA degree, and contained comparisons with other school districts in the state and a breakdown of costs involved in the district leaving the program, which would include expenses for separate kitchens, staff and equipment.  While the district is not considering opting out of the program at the moment, the study revealed that the costs would be prohibitive at the present time.

 

Malone informed the board the district had been awarded a solar electric system through a grant from the Made In Minnesota Solar Program.  The system and installation are valued at $250,000, which will not cost the district any money and will result in savings of an estimated annual savings of $1,250 over the 30-year life of the system.

 

Teachers Maggie Maine (digital citizenship) and Judi Klosterman (consumer science) made short presentations to the board regarding the techniques and materials used in their respective classrooms.

 

The board set a workshop session to discuss potential referendum scenarios for 6:30 p.m. on Mon., March 23 in the Teaching and Learning Center at BHS.