VIENNA — The members of the Maries R-1 school board approved the 2021-22 proposed budget during regular business at the June board meeting.
Superintendent Mark Parker said he used last year’s numbers to put the budget together. He increased county tax revenue by 1.5 percent. He was very conservative with state revenue numbers. He told the board members he thinks the numbers for this budget will be under last year’s numbers.
He anticipates revenues increasing. There was an excess in last year’s budget of $29,000, which was deposited in the capital projects fund.
For the 2021-22 budget, total revenues were budgeted at $4,583,426. Some of the larger revenue sources included current taxes: $1,800,000 and $240,000; delinquent taxes: $85,000 and $9,000; Prop C: $400,000; student food service: $90,000; railroad and utilities: $190,000; Basic Formula: $1,110,000; transportation: $60,000; Classroom Trust: $145,000; Part B-IDEA: $104,000; school lunch federal: $89,000; school breakfast federal: $23,000; and Title 1: $134,830.
The 2021-22 budget has estimated total expenditures of $4,554,189.58.
In other business at the June R-1 school board meeting:
—The board set the tuition rate for the 2021-22 school year at $5,500, which was Parker’s recommendation. He said with the student adequacy target (SAT) projected to remain at $6,375 for the next school year, he recommended the R-1 tuition rate be set at $5,500, the same as the past year.
—The board adopted the revised Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan (SRCSP).
The board first approved this plan on August 11, 2020, as the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic’s school plan to deal with the virus. The plan was revised by the school administration in June 2021.
Parker said the school district had to have a plan in place to return to school. Maries R-1 had a mask mandate. This mandate was put on hold for summer school, but is still part of the plan. Parker said the mask mandate could be used again if the virus numbers begin to increase in the fall for the 2021-22 school year.
“All are still in this plan and could go back to it if we need to,” he said.
Students are still required to have a mask to use if needed. Also, visitors to the school are required to wear a mask. Parker said the SRCSP “continues to be a fluid document” and to receive the ESSER 3 money the school district has to have this plan in place. The plan will be reviewed again in December to ensure it meets the current needs of the school district as it pertains to the COVID-19 virus.
The plan was posted on the school district’s website and parents and patrons were able to comment on it.
The school district received ESSER money to pay for COVID-19 response expenditures. These are expenses the school would have providing a clean, safe learning environment for students. Some of the ESSER 3 money is geared to be used for academic programs to help students recover academically from school closures and students participating in virtual classes.
The preliminary estimate for R-1’s ESSER 3 money is $779,459.