By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Hays USD 489 Superintendent Dean Katt said Monday night he’s “still feeling pretty good” about the school district’s 2016 fiscal year budget projections.
He presented the financial reports during the school board work session in the absence of Financial Director Tracy Kaiser.
The General Fund and Local Option Budget (LOB) was at $401,668 as of Monday, June 8.
All school districts, along with the rest of the state, are still awaiting the new budget and their state funding from the Kansas legislature.
The school funding proposal has changed several times, starting with block grants which would mean about $300 less per student in USD 489. There’s also been talk of across-the-board cuts of up to 6.2 percent.
“The big threat now is that they will do allotments. What that equates to, I don’t know,” Katt said.
“Honestly, I don’t know where we’re going to be,” Katt told board members. “Obviously that’s a concern. I’m hoping if they do make those (allotments) it isn’t on base state aid per pupil, and it’s on state aid. That way it kind of protects us just like the other cut did whereas we don’t receive that much state aid.”
“Right now, I don’t know how (the legislature) makes a huge cut in any school district, with certified staff already under contract,” Katt added. “It’d be very difficult.”
Tuesday will be the 110th day of the 2015 legislative session, already the longest in state history.
In other business, Rusty Lindsay, Director of Buildings and Grounds, updated the progress and timeline of a new system to clean the district’s school building rooms and floors during the summer break. Cleaning of Hays High is underway.
With input from incoming board members Paul Adams and Luke Oborny sitting in the audience, the board also agreed to schedule a special meeting to resume discussion of the facilities needs recommendation plan which includes a proposed $100 million bond issue.
The board went into three 30-minute executive sessions to discussion teacher union negotiations. No action was taken after the final session.
Board president James Leiker was absent from the work session.