2C COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL APRIL 25 , 2018
SUPPORTING
SLSD faces budget defi cit
Acting superintendent expects to present
balanced budget in May
NEWSPAPERS IN EDUCATION
G
iven the projected revenue and expenditures for the South
Lane School District next year, the district is $425,000 short.
However, it's nothing to worry about.
This, according to acting superintendent Kyle Tucker who told the
school board and seven budget committee members that in a $30 million budget, $425,000 was not
something to panic about.
"Hopefully, that based on what happens over the next month, we'll get us to a balanced budget,"
Tucker said.
In May, the district is expected to have more concrete numbers including an adjustment from the
2016-2017 school year.Last yeat, that adjustment was a negative number. This year, they're hoping for
a positive.
Tucker walked the budget committee through the process explaining cost increases including a 2.1
percent salary increase that is non-negotiable and included in staff contracts. The district is also facing
a 4.5 percent Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) increase as well as a projected increase in
the cost of insurance.
Eighty-fi ve percent of the district's budget is made up of staffi ng costs.
"It's people," Tucker said. "Most businesses, the cost is in staffi ng."
The district has made allowances for increases it can predict such as insurance (moving it from $15.5
million this year to $16 million next year) but for other factors, such as enrollment, it can only guess.
According to the district, enrollment has been on the downward trend the last few years with Tucker
explaining that the kindergarten classes are not on track with the outgoing senior classes.
As of this week, the district's kindergarten class totals 189 students. The 12th grade class has 209
students.
School district receive money for each student that attends school. The numbers are tracked through
the Average Daily Membership (ADM) which tracks the daily average enrollment in a district. That
number, weighted, for South Lane is 3,357.
The remainder of the general fund is made up of local revenue including property tax and federal
allotments. Local revenue for South Lane is expected to be just over $7 million. Federal allotments are
still up in the air.
"We think they'll be a decrease based on what we're hearing come out of the federal government,"
Tucker said. "I'm not holding my breath at the federal level," he added later in the meeting.
South Lane has had budget issues in the past including last year when the district joined others across
the state to call for more money from the legislature. The education package that was eventually passed
came in at $8.2 billion but was short of the $8.4 billion schools had asked for. The state legislature
follows a two-year budget cycle.
The district also has to take into account longterm projects including the effort to update its fl eet of
buses that must be completed by 2025. The Department of Environmental Quality is overseeing the
governmental mandate that governs emissions standards. South Lane School District currently has 21
buses out of its 41-bus fl eet that do not meet those standards and must be replaced. According to Tuck-
er, the district has budgeted for three new buses in the 2018-2019 school year. Any buses that do not
meet the new standards by 2025 will be red-lined and taken out of service.
Cottage Grove City Councilor and school district budget committee member Mike Fleck asked if the
buses could be retro-fi tted to meet standards. Tucker said those adjustments come at a cost of approximately
$30,000 per bus. "Now you're spending $30,000 on a 20-year-old bus and the transmission starts having
problems and the engine and the axle. It wasn't cost effective," he said.
The district is also approximately three years behind on its textbook adoption cycle and continues to
work on projects funded by a $35 million bond passed in 2016. The new Harrison Elementary School
is the largest bond project coming in at nearly $24 million and has a lasting effect on the budget with
additional custodial staff budgeted for the facility which is considerably larger than the current Harrison
school.
The current budget estimations take into account that no days have been cut from the calendar. Last
year, the district cut two days and earlier this year, there was talk of cutting days for the upcoming budget
cycle.
"For every day of school in South Lane, it costs $90,000," Tucker said. "So, this doesn't include cut
days, this is a full calendar."
The fi nal budget is expected to be presented to the school board and budget committee next month.
"Our hope is that between now and May 14, we'll get some fi nal numbers and have some staffi ng
changes as people decide whether they're retiring or going somewhere else and we'll present a budget that
refl ects those revenues and expenditures," Tucker said. "In others words, a balanced budget."
BY CAITLYN MAY
cmay@cgsentinel.com
Thank you to the
following supporters:
Ruth Ackley
Irene Bauder
Angie Borigo
James and Carol Brownson
Cindy Conrad
Russell and Lee Cooper
Robert and Mary Currier
Bob and Janette Dill
Long Family
Jeffrey & Karen Freeman
Kathryn Flynn
Jean Furguson
Mary Gabrielle, MD
James & Barbara Grant
John and Donna Mansfi eld
Lonny Perini
Ron Pupke
Elaine Roberts
Emily Settlemeyer
Donna Shepherd
Robert Swaringin
Jan Thompson
Randy Turpin
Carol Volesky
This story fi rst appeared in the April 18 edition of The Sentinel. Get SLSD news all month long at
cgsentinel.com
March Students of the Month
LONDON
SCHOOL
FINLEY NASH
The London School April
2018 Student of the Month is
541-345- 7570
Finley Nash. Finley is an 8th-
grade student in Mr. Loeb’s
6-8th grade class. Finley is a
very hardworking, dedicated
and thoughtful student.
Finley often completes work
early and uses this as an
opportunity to help others.
In a classroom with a range
of ages, Finley uses his
maturity to bring the entire
group up with him. He also
understands that education
is a process and that learning
is a lifelong venture. This
mindset will serve him well
in high school and beyond.
Watch out Cottage Grove
High School!
DORENA
ELEMENTARY
TORI HAINES
Tori Haines is Dorena
School’s star student for
April. Every morning she
comes with a smile and
happy attitude. Tori is a
calm, positive inluence on
our class. Tori helps her
classmates use their PAC
skills. Tori is everyone’s
best friend. She is patient
and cooperative at play
and schoolwork. Tori is
a valuable member of
the Preschool classroom.
HARRISON
ELEMENTARY
REESE PRUDHEL
Reese Prudhel is a kind
and thoughtful person.
Reese always has a smile
for everyone in class.
Reese is dependable
and will accept any
challenge that school
has to offer. Reese is
the type of student that
every teacher is grateful
to have in the classroom-
eager to learn, hard-
working and positive.
STARFIRE
JACK SPRATS
2795 MOSBY CREEK RD, COTTAGE GROVE
510 E MAIN ST, COTTAGE GROVE
4237 W. 5th Ave • Eugene
(541) 942-0168
(541) 942-8408
TRUCK & EQUIPMENT REPAIR
WWW.STARFIRELUMBER.COM
WWW.JACKSPRATSBRATS.COM
LINCOLN MIDDLE
SCHOOL
Jordyn Beswick is our
April Student of the Month.
Jordyn is dynamite! She is
kind, helpful and always
up for the daily challenge!
What we appreciate
about Jordyn the most
is her ability to keep a
smile on her face as she
tries new things, and even
when they may feel hard,
she doesn’t give up or let
it sour her attitude!
JORDYN BESWICK
ELKTON
HIGH SCHOOL
Toa has consistently
shown incredible care
for his own decisions, his
future and for the people
around him. He works
hard and he embodies
his belief in the Kennedy
community by being
active and friendly to all.
Ashley is a conscientious,
hardworking
and
intelligent student. She
is kind and thoughtful
and very capable of being
clever and quick. She has a
wonderful sense of humor.
She gets along great with
her classmates and our
staff. She is a very good
student who is respectful,
listens and works hard!
ASHLEY
ROBERTSON
Cottage Grove Sentinel
2775 Row River Rd • 541-942-4415
bradschevy.com
KENNEDY
HIGH SCHOOL
116 N. 6th St. • 541-942-3325
www.cgsentinel.com
TAO MAGEO
Sherry Duerst-Higgins
Remax Advantage Plus
541-953-6689
SHERRY@DUERST.HIGGINS.COM