Most of Monday’s Becker School Board meeting dealt with fiscal year budgets and results from the stakeholder input surveys.

 

Joe Prom, director of business services, was on-hand and gave a revised budget presentation for approval.

 

The presentation included budgets from the general fund, food service, community education, debt service and construction.

 

Prom indicated the school is seeing slow growth with 2,848 students being counted and by FY 2017, they are projecting 2,854 students. In 2015, the school had 2,815 students and in 2013 there were 2,783 and in 2012 there were 2,780.

 

Becker Schools is expected to see an increase in total revenues from 2015-16 to 2016-17 of about $2,054,312. With expenditures cutting into that revenue at about $645,027 and proceeds coming in from a capital lease, the excess revenue tops out at $1.57 million.

 

Prom gave the board a five-year snapshot of the general fund and noted the schools will have an unassigned fund balance projected at $1.7 million for FY 17.

 

The board reviewed the entire budget showing and approved the 2015-16 revised budget (all funds) and the 2016-17 original budget (all funds).

 

Supt. Dr. Stephen Malone gave a summary of the 2016 stakeholder input survey in which the top 10 ideas from the groups (employees, parents students and community members) were shared.

 

Some of the questions posed were, “What is the frequency of physical education?” Another was, “What does the school have to offer?” Another was, “What is Becker doing well?”

 

Some of the input gathered included suggestions on class sizes, teacher help, mental health resources, improving STEM, critical thinking, adding value by utilizing potential, fixing the bathrooms, school menus and sharing ideas.

 

As far as what the school is doing well? 

 

Feedback suggested the safety and security at the school should remain a priority and is going well. Offering a great amount of variety of activities is essential and should continue. The welcoming of new families and students is encouraging and should continue. The quality of teachers is appreciated. The school’s ability to leverage technology for learning.

 

Malone says the school board plans to use the ideas inputted to set future goals. 

 

Malone said he agreed to serve on the superintendent advisory board for Resource Training and Solutions. The 10 superintendents on the board represent the 56 schools and will provide recommendations regarding the programs and operation of RTS. The RTS governing board, comprised of member district school board members, oversees the director and is the legal authority for the organization.

 

A high school program review committee has been formed, said Malone. Members include teachers, administrators, parents (high and middle school) and students. 

 

Malone says the purpose of the committee is to ensure the school is offering high quality programming that aligns with the district vision, guarantee career and college readiness for every student, and is articulated for grades 6-12. 

 

The group will examine all aspects of Becker high school programming. The target date to complete the process is November with recommendations implemented for the 2017-18 school year.

 

Advance Placement Biology will be a new elective available to sophomores this fall. College In The Schools: World History will be a new elective available to juniors and seniors.

 

The required Economics course (sophomores, one quarter) currently includes a unit on Money and Banking, which will be expanded this fall to include personal banking, balancing a checkbook and related items. The curriculum work to integrate these changes will be completed this spring or early summer.

 

Student Andrea Molus said spring activities are in planning stages with prom just around the corner, April 23. Ticket sales have been discussed in the committee and games are being planned.

 

Mark Swanson gave an update on activities and said there was plenty of talk about homecoming, royalty and prom. He also said he will circulate copies of the coaches handbook for review for implementation next year.

 

Swanson said a survey has been sent out to interested parties in relation to the winter sport season. Results of the survey will be discussed hopefully at the May school board meeting.

 

• A workshop for the school board has been scheduled for April 27 at 6 p.m.;

 

• The board voted to schedule a school board meeting for June 8 at 5 p.m.;

 

• Aaron Jurek volunteered to serve as the school board member on the high school program review committee.

 

The next Becker School Board meeting is May 2 at 6:30 p.m.