The board unanimously approved a resolution to accept the new transportation contract on the recommendation of Supt. Stephen Malone.  Voting in favor were Chairman Aaron Jurek, Vice-Chairman Jason Kindred, Treasurer Lori Molus and Director Bryan Olson.  Board Members Sheri Lumley and Mark Swanson were not present.

 

The new two-year transportation contract represents a total package cost to the district of 3.92%, including salary increases, FICA, PERA, health insurance, life insurance and long term disability.  Under the new agreement, wages will increase 0.5% each year; the district insurance contribution will increase one percent each year of the contact; New Year’ s Day was added as a paid holiday; accumulated sick leave can be used on the first and second occurrence of school being closed for any reason; van drivers paid for a minimum of one hour for any route assigned; two personal leave days per year, may accumulate up to four, and field trips will be offered to full-time bus drivers first.

 

A contract agreement has yet to be reached with the teacher’s union.  Commenting on the large number of teachers in attendance at the Monday meeting, Becker Education Association President Eric Austin stated teachers will “continue to attend school board meetings until a fair settlement is reached that makes Becker above average again, so that we can stop losing quality teachers and harming students.”

 

 

District business manager Joe Prom made presentations detailing the 2013-14 revised district budget, and the 2014-15 original budget.  According to the figures presented, the audited fund balance on 6/30/13 was $622,581, with revenues for 2013-14 of $23,219,882 and expenditures of $23,083,517 for a variance of $136,365.  The projected fund balance as of 6/30/2014 is $758,883, with 2014-15 revenues of $24,133,449 and expenditures of $24,025,955 for a variance of $107,494.  The projected 6/30/2015 ending fund balance is $866,377.

 

The FY14 unassigned general fund balance is expected to be 3.3% of the annual budget, while the FY15 unassigned general fund balance is projected to be 3.6 per cent of the annual budget.  District Policy 714 Funds Balance states that the district will “strive to maintain a minimum unassigned general fund balance of eight per cent of the annual budget.”

Following the presentation, the board voted unanimously to approve the revised FY14 and proposed FY15 budgets.

 

The charts and other information included in the presentation are available on the district web site in the school board meeting packet section.

 

K-12 enrollment for 2013-14 is 2,795, with 600 students in the primary school, 632 in the intermediate school, 690 in middle school and 873 in the high school, with average class size ranging from 22 to 30 in K-8 and 32 in the high school.  For 2014-15 projected enrollment is 2,802, with 597 in the primary school, 614 in the intermediate school, 696 in middle school and 895 in the high school.

 

 

Malone recommended the board approve Feb. 17 and June 6 as make-up days for time lost to inclement weather, and also recommended that March 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 be designated as additional make-up days if two or more instructional days are lost in this school year.  June 6 would be a one-half student day and one-half staff day, with a further one-half staff day to be determined after June 6.

 

The reaction from parents and teachers to the proposed March make-up dates was “mixed’, Malone said, and some board members also cited planned family trips with bookings already made as a source of potential unhappiness for district residents, though others spoke in favor of making a decision.

 

The board moved to table action on the March dates until the next meeting, but voted unanimously for the Feb. 17 and June 6 make-up dates at the end of the discussion.

 

 

The community task force convened on Jan. 13 with Shelly Mattson as chairperson.  Malone reported that the group will meet on Feb. 10 to review MN Student Survey data and assess information from the Search Institute, which studies experiences and behaviors that help young people develop into successful adults.

 

The board also voted to accept the resignation and separation agreement with former teacher Dale Blommel.

 

Under Policy 706, the board voted to accept gifts from Becker Furniture World ($300); Darter Plastics ($1,000) and the Palmer Days Committee ($400) for the Becker High School robotics team, and gifts from the Becker Youth Sports Association ($2,400) for track/field and cross country uniforms and ($1,275) for dance team/kick uniforms.