Friday night football
This THURSDAY, Oct. 9, the Rush City Tigers football team travels to Esko for a 7 p.m. game. The North Branch Vikings are at home against Robbinsdale Cooper on Friday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. Look for results at the Post Review's Scoreboard Plus (above) after the games.
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Budget season brings more cuts for NB school district |
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By Patrick Tepoorten
North Branch School District Financial Director Randi Johnson kicked off another budget season by saying, “Today’s a sad day in the North Branch School District.” Sad because administration spent the work day informing staff that the 2008 - 2009 budget season was likely to bring the largest round of budget cuts since 2005.
Having previously made the decision not to pursue an operating levy in 2008, at the Feb. 28 work session the school board got down to the business of making do with what is available. According to Johnson, it’s going to take $2.9 million in cuts to square next year’s operating budget. With the exception of the 2005 - 2006 budget, which suffered a $3.5 million adjustment, this is the deepest round of cuts. But, where those cuts were offset by the use of $1.3 million in leftover fund balance - leaving only $2.1 to be actually cut - the district has no such luxury this time around. In fact, after years of using the fund balance to offset deficits to the tune of $7.4 million over the last five years, it is depleted to the point that the district must now make adjustments to maintain its target balance of $1 million.
The district is projected to require $2.5 million in operating budget cuts, but unlike previous years, it will also require $400,000 in cuts to replenish the fund balance. The district did plan to have a healthy fund balance by the end of this fiscal year, it’s severe reductions in promised special education aid from the state that has left the fund balance almost a half-million short. According to Johnson, with the reduction, the increases to special education funding last year at the state level will only amount to about $50,000 more this year than last.
Other challenges the district faces is a projected $200,000 loss due to a special education tuition billing system change, also at the state level, an increase of its diesel fuel budget of $55,000 this year, a significant decrease in the number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, and a 60-student enrollment decline this school year.
Of major concern for the district is the declining enrollment. Johnson, who stated that the district has “lived” off of enrollment growth for years, said the pattern of declining enrollment, which the district does not see changing in the short term, puts the district “in a whole new dimension” budget-wise.
As is her custom, Johnson used conservative figures to project next year’s needs. It is possible the projected deficit could be reduced by the end of the fiscal year in June.
Like in previous years, district administration will begin the process of cutting using a site-based formula that will focus the cuts where deficits are being generated through decreasing enrollment. Last year the middle school bore the brunt of cuts. For the upcoming budget season, it is likely the biggest cuts will be to the primary school budget.
Staff input session have been scheduled for early March, and the district will allow public comment on the pending cuts at a special meeting on April 17 at the Sunrise River School. The board is expected to take action on cuts on April 24, and adopt a budget by June 30.
Historically, the district has been forced to adjust downward $17.3 million from its annual budgets since 2003 - 04. Those cuts have been offset by the $7.4 million in fund balance over the same time frame, leaving $9.9 million in actual cuts.
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