SPRINGDALE -- Expenses for the 2016-17 school year will total nearly $237 million, based on the budget approved Tuesday by the School Board.
Of that, $191.5 million represents the operating budget for teacher salaries, daily expenses and payments on debt.
Springdale School District budget 2016-17
• Teacher salaries: $96,031,120*
• Operating: $84,138,301*
• Buildings: $7,188,339
• Debt service: $11,366,956*
• Federal: $21,378,451
• Campus activity: $3,000,000
• Food service: $13,887,500
• Total: $236,990,667
*These three funds make up the operating budget.
Source: Springdale School District
"It's a pretty typical year," said Kelly Hayes, the district's comptroller.
The School District is one of the largest organizations in Springdale, School Board President Randy Hutchinson said. The budget reflects spending for a district of nearly 23,000 children, including more than 1,300 pre-kindergarteners, with the equivalent of 2,763 full-time positions and 31 schools.
Hutchinson goes to Hayes when he has questions about the budget or in the check register reported to the School Board each month.
"I'm a lay person," Hutchinson said. "You have to put a little faith in the people you've hired."
Operating expenses are budgeted to increase by 7 percent more than the $178.4 million spent in 2015-16, Hayes said.
Hayes projects revenue for the operating budget to total about $190 million, with 33.1 percent coming from property taxes and 53.8 percent coming from the foundation money the state guarantees all districts. Another 12.8 percent comes from other designated money provided by the state.
The revenue is budgeted to increase by 3 percent, Hayes said.
Hayes explained to the School Board he doesn't think expenses will increase quite as much as budgeted, though the district has incurred additional expenses with opening two campuses -- Don Tyson School of Innovation and Linda Childers Knapp Elementary School.
In 2015-16, the district spent less on utilities because of a mild winter and reduced costs for fuel because of lower fuel prices, Hayes said. Hayes budgeted more money for utilities and fuel prices for 2016-17 in case prices increase.
"You just never know," Hayes said.
Even though the numbers show a deficit, Hayes said he doesn't anticipate deficit spending and said the reason expenses exceed revenue is because of some accounting rules for some restricted money.
Jared Cleveland, deputy superintendent, told the School Board the count of students in kindergarten through 12th grade is 21,529. The number of certified staff, including teachers, stands at the equivalent of 1,655 full-time positions. The district added 51 certified positions, but eliminated 14 others, for a net gain of 37 positions.
The district also has 109 bus drivers and 999 other classified positions, including maintenance workers, custodians and school cafeteria workers, Cleveland said. The district has added 29 classified positions, while eliminating 10 other positions, for a net gain of 20 full-time equivalent positions.
NW News on 09/21/2016