School Board approves preliminary budget
By Tracy Ouellette
Editor
The East Troy Board of Education voted in favor of accepting the 2014-15 preliminary budget at its meeting Monday night. The vote was unanimous, but School Board member Chris Smith was not in attendance.
East Troy Community School District business manager Katherine Zwirgzdas said the end of the 2013-14 fiscal year; totals for fund balance came out to $3,179,969, or about 18 percent of the district’s operating budget.
The projected end-of-year general fund balance was $2,919,955, but Zwirgzdas reminded the board that was a preliminary number and would be adjust in September when the final student count for the school year is made and again in October when the actual property values came in and when the district learned how much state aid it would be receiving for the 2014-15 school year.
The preliminary budget calls a total tax rate increase of 3.33 percent. This translates to an addition 34 cents on every $1,000 of equalized property value.
This number may change when the state aid amounts come in October, Zwirgzdas said.
Annual meeting
The School Board’s annual meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. in the High School Lecture Hall. The meeting gives residents information of the current state of the School District as well as an opportunity to voice any opinions concerning the budget and the district.
The meeting is advisory and while the board will take into consideration the public participation, the annual tax levy won’t be set by the board until October.
Referendum
With budgetary matters weighing heavily on the School District and the Nov. 4 referendum looming, District Administrator Dr. Chris Hibner sent out a press release detailing what the proposed facility need referendum will cover. This included:
High School – Improvements will include relocating the main office to enhance security, adding on four new classrooms, establishing a robotics and technology education addition, creating a new band rehearsal room and new fitness room, enlarging some current classrooms, and renovating the technology education area, choir room, lecture hall, locker rooms, and main bathrooms.
Middle School – a new energy management system will be installed to improve operating efficiency.
Prairie View School – A new bus loop will be created to improve traffic flow and student and parent safety, as well as to help alleviate congestion.
Doubek School – An addition and major renovations will be made to the school. As a result of the addition and renovations, the school will be able to house early childhood, 4-year-old kindergarten, kindergarten, and first-grade students.
Under the plan approved by the board, Chester Byrnes School will be demolished and administrative offices will be moved to Doubek School.
Hibner stressed that the referendum will not raise taxes because the district’s debt from the Prairie View construction and High School renovations from 1999 drops off next year.
For now, if you would like more information about the referendum, visit www.easttroy.k12.wi.us.
Other business
In other business the School Board accepted $18,397 in donations from the East Troy All Sports Booster Club. Board President Ted Zess abstained from the vote because he is also president of the Booster Club. School Board Vice-president Dawn Buchholtz made the motion to accept the donation “with extreme gratitude.” Martha Bresler, Steven Lambrechts and Buchholtz all voted in favor of accepting the donation.
