Budgets for Impact Aid, Title VII programs approved at RV

The budgets for Impact Aid and the Title VII Indian Education programs were approved by the Royal Valley Board of Education Monday evening.

Separate hearings were held for the budgets, and committee members LeAnne Rupnick, Josie Pahmahmie and Carrie O’Toole were present to outline the different programs.

Federal Impact Aid funds are allotted to the district based on last year’s enrollment numbers, according to Superintendent John Rundle. 

So even though 297 students qualified this school year for Impact Aid, the district will receive funding based on last year’s count, which was 294 students.

Students are deemed eligible if their families live on or work on federal lands, including Indian reservations.   

The Impact Aid budget has a carryover of $133,062 from last year and has received $79,332 so far this school year. Additional federal funds may still be allocated this year. 

The Impact Aid Task Force proposed a budget of $90,000, which includes $20,441 for elementary math and reading teacher support, $29,500 for after-school transportation, $33,429 for assistance teacher support, $1,630 for Impact Aid Association dues and $5,000 for Native American Singers and Dancers. 

Last year’s budget was $110,000.

“These Impact Aid funds really stepped up several years ago and helped us continue to provide services for kids,” Rundle said. “Now we’re trying to pull back and come closer to spending what comes in.”

Rupnick said that members of the Impact Aid Task Force see the value in providing transportation for extracurricular activities before and after school. 

“Extracurriculars keep students in school and managing good grades,” Rupnick said. “Some of these kids can’t participate without transportation. We want all students to have the same opportunities.”

After the budget for Impact Aid was unanimously approved, a hearing was  held to discuss a proposed $56,000 budget for the Title VII Indian Education program. 

Funds for this program are received through a grant the district applies for each year, it was reported. 

The majority of the funds from this program are used for tutoring and to administer and supply the Native American arts and crafts program. These programs are available to all students.

The working budget was proposed at $56,000 and includes funds for a part-time director, a cultural/crafts specialist, a tutor, language specialist, fixed costs, mileage and supplies. 

This was the same budget proposed last year, and the board unanimously approved this budget as well. 

The board also received an update on the Kansas Legislature from Rundle. 

The Legislature passed Senate substitute for House Bill 2655 on March 24 and Gov. Sam Brownback signed it into law on April 6. The new school finance law was then sent to the Kansas Supreme Court to determine if it is equitable.  

“It doesn’t change the number of dollars we receive this current year or next year, but it does distribute them slightly differently,” Rundle said. 

Rundle said the law does take the district’s previous Local Option Budget (LOB) state aid rate (which is 72 percent) and moves it back to the same rate as capital outlay, which is 74 percent.

“In doing that, you have winners and losers,” Rundle said. 

With the new law, the district’s capital outlay aid would increase by $41,950 while the LOB aid would decrease $246,065, for a net loss of $204,116.

In order to pass the bill, a hold harmless payment of $204,116 would be given back to the district, Rundle said. That payment would not go to the LOB but would instead get placed in the general fund. 

“By doing that, the state leaves us $204,116 below what the district could have raised locally in the supplemental LOB,” he said. “Royal Valley would have to raise 7.5 mills to get the money back.”

Rundle said that districts with larger property tax bases would be able to make up their difference in the LOB easier than smaller districts like RV. 

“From my perspective, this law is not equalizing,” he said. 

Lawmakers are also working on another proposed school finance system (House Bill 2741) for the 2017-2018 school year that would reduce funding, including the elimination of state spending for extracurricular activities, and would provide tax funds to parents who want to send their children to private schools or home schools. 

In other business, the board:

* Approved consent items.

* Received and approved a request from the FCCLA club to allow three students, Breanna Hainline, Mary Broxerman and Eryn Daugherty, and their sponsor, Monique Litherland, to attend the National FFCLA competition in San Diego this summer. 

The students will pay their own trip expenses through fund-raisers, and the board agreed that the district would fund Litherland’s travel expenses. 

* Received and approved a trip request from David Wingerson, district band director, to allow the high school band to take a trip to San Antonio next April. A trip to Branson had been planned for this year, but there was not enough interest by band members, and the trip was cancelled.

* Reviewed plans to serve ice cream sundaes to faculty and staff at the district’s schools next week. 

* Learned from Rundle that Mike Jewell is interested in selling the parking lot located east of the RV bus barn to the district. 

The district currently rents the parking lot, which is located on Main Street in Mayetta, from Jewell for $175 a month. 

The board agreed that they are interested in looking into the purchase and discussed the possibility of making the purchase out of next year’s budget. 

* Approved several purchases including new athletic lockers for the Royal Valley Middle School locker rooms at a total cost of $27,350 from School Specialty of Wisconsin.

The board also approved a quote from Custom Sheetmetal of Topeka to remove and replace wastewater drains at the RVHS kitchen and install stainless steel sheets to some areas of the kitchen. The quote totaled $10,180. 

 A new boiler for the high school was approved from Winnelson Company of Kansas City at a cost of $5,483.53.

* Accepted a $300 Teen Gender Violence Prevention mini-grant received by the FCCLA club. 

The board also accepted a variety of donations totaling $3,009.75 that were received for powerlifing, wrestling and baseball.  

* Accepted the resignation of Katie Barnes as a math teacher at the middle school. 

* Met in executive session for 20 minutes with Rundle, Pfrang, RVHS principal Jim Holloman and RVHS athletic director Jeff Gustin. 

Back in open session, the board approved all certified teaching contracts not previously acted upon. 

* Adjourned the meeting at 9:15 p.m. All board members were present.