Sikeston schools advisory committee learns of revenue struggles

SIKESTON -- A citizens group on Wednesday learned about some of the revenue challenges facing the Sikeston School District this school year and next.

"There's still a lot unknown," district business director Lori Boardman told members of the district's Citizens Advisory Committee. "Unfortunately, we're at a point where have to start putting the budget together (for fiscal year 2011). So some hard decisions have been made by the Board of Education."

Boardman went on discuss some of the highlights.

"When we (Citizens Advisory Committee) met last fall, we had reported losses from the previous year in about four or five categories of revenue that amounted to a little over $800,000. For spring 2010, when we had reviewed revenues coming from the state, we were looking at an additional $565,000 in losses. Those (losses) are not 'ifs.' Those are coming between now and June."

Boardman said the district is also looking at the following losses: $257,000 from the state foundation formula; $150,000 from local monies; $28,000 from transportation; $113,000 of sales tax; and $17,000 from other miscellaneous revenue such as grants.

"For the 2009-2010 school year, we will be down $1.3 million in revenues that we should've had," Boardman said. ". . . Until June 21, we won't really know where we stand with state funding."

For the 2010-2011 school year budget, revenues estimated at this point, include adding 20 cents to the district's operating levy, which could generate about $400,000 in new money for the district.

"That would take the operating levy from $3.35 to $3.55," Boardman said.

However, the district could face a potential loss of $400,000 or more if there's a similar loss in assessed valuation in 2010-2011 as there was in 2009-2010.

"If we should have another rate of sales tax loss (at the same rate as 2009-2010), the district would be down another $100,000," Boardman said.

The district built in its budget draft a 4 percent loss in the state formula payment of $519,000 in the budget, Boardman said. An additional 2 percent cut resulting in the loss of $260,000 is also projected.

Revenues are currently calculated and totaling $32,500,000 and projected expenditures in the budget of $32,455,000.

"The way we balanced that budget was several items were cut," Boardman said. "We're not filling some positions through attrition. We're making some changes in support staff hours."

There are support staff positions that -- at this point if money does not get better -- will not be filled for the 2010-2011 school year, Boardman said.

"We have hit everything -- from taking flu shots out of the budget to Thanksgiving turkeys out of the budget to attendance incentives, Boardman said.

"We cut everything we possibly could -- other than personnel -- to operate the district. There are some things we have to have to keep the doors open. And, unfortunately, by the time we took those items out ... we had no choice but to look at salaries and budgets."

At this point, the district is keeping all of its non-tenured teachers and administrators for the 2010-2011 school year, Boardman said. Certified teachers must be given a contract or notified they won't be rehired by April 15.

Boardman pointed out everything is subject to change as the Board of Education will not approve the final version of the 2010-2011 budget until late June.

Also discussed Wednesday was the possibility of the district implementing a kindergarten transition class.

"This time last year one of the concerns individuals had was: 'What about children who are entering kindergarten who don't seem to be prepared and therefore seem to be behind throughout the year, specifically children whose birthdays were falling later in the school year, May, June and July?'" said Cindy Griffin, assistant superintendent of elementary education and special services.

Kindergarten officials looked at various data over the past five years of children who were retained each of those years.

"What we found is, basically, focusing in on those children whose birthday fell on those last three months is it doesn't make that much difference (whether or not they're retained), according to the data," Griffin said.

Griffin said district officials have researched transitional kindergarten programs in the region. Principal Jenny Hobeck also visited a transitional kindergarten class in Nixa.

Sikeston's kindergarten teachers have indicated a possible retention number of 20 students this school year, which is lower than usual, Hobeck said. Generally, the projected retention number at this time of year is between 30 and 40 kids, she said.

"Right now there are only 20 students we're thinking about retaining, and I think only 10 of them will be retained," Hobeck said.

Both Hobeck and Griffin credited Sikeston's teachers using different strategies, such as "teaching at the student's level" to the lower number of possible retention.

"We don't have a final recommendation yet, but what we want to do is to get a group of our kindergarten teachers, our instructional staff, our academic leaders and parents and get some input," Griffin said. "...We still have some planning to do with many factors to look at."