Polk County Education 10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • August 10, 2016 School’s bottom line up By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — The Dallas School District received good financial news Mon- day, at least for the short- term outlook. The future still is clouded with the prospect of increas- ing Oregon Public Employ- ees Retirement System rates and possible declining en- rollment. But on Monday, Business Manager Tami Montague repor ted an unanticipated increase in the amount of money left over from the 2015-16 school year, called an “end- ing fund balance.” “A couple things hap- pened near the end of the year that’s now making my ending fund balance projec- tion go up bit,”Montague said. The 2015-16 fiscal year hasn’t been completely closed out, but the estimate is that the district will end the year with $1.4 million, instead of $1 million previ- ously predicted. The boost is due to the State Land Board approving an increase in funding going to K-12 schools from the Common School Fund. For Dallas, that meant an addi- tional $130,000. Montague also credits dis- ciplined spending at the dis- trict’s schools for ending the year on a higher note than expected. Divorce Support Group for Adults and Children DivorceCare is a warm & caring seminar and support group for adults who are separated or divorced., that meets weekly for 13 weeks. You will experience an encouraging & information packed video presentation, small group discussions and a personal workbook for journaling and personal study exercises. $35 Registration fee for Divorce Care for Kids is adults. Scholarships a available. special group to help children ages 5 - 12 to heal from the hurt caused by the separation or divorce of their parents. We combine games, crafts, activities, music and DVD dramas to create a fun atmosphere where children feel comfortable and accepted. $20 Registration Both groups begin: includes workbook for children. Monday Aug. 22 • 6:30 pm For more information or to register pl ease call Kate or visit our website. Weekday Bible Building 1156 SE Holman. Dallas 503-917-1625 www.crossandcrownministries.org “We were doing a really good job of closing down purchase orders without doing some unnecessary spending at the end of the year,” Montague said. “The building (administrators_ did an amazing job.” Montague said not all the staff has been hired for the upcoming school year and some expenses are not cal- culated yet, but she estimat- ed the district will end the 2016-17 in a similar position with about $1.5 million in ending fund balance. “A lot of will depend on what our enrollment turns up in September, how many kids show up for school,” Montague said. The district is preparing for a significant PERS in- crease in July 2017. Final pro- jections should be known soon, but, for now, the dis- trict is anticipating a cost of $700,000 due to PERS. “We are hearing there is no movement legislatively for PERS reform, so what we are seeing now, we are pretty sure we are going to get,” Montague said. She said while expendi- tures are guaranteed to go up, there may be changes to the amount of money going to schools. November’s gen- eral election will have voters decide on Measure 97, a tax on sales of corporations in the state earning more than $25 million annually, with the revenue going to schools, health care and senior services. “If there is revenue re- form, that will help the pic- ture for 2017-19, but without some kind of revenue re- form, we are not anticipat- ing we will receive enough to roll current services for- ward,” Montague said. Track to be tested By Jolene Guzman The Itemizer-Observer DALLAS — Dallas High School’s track will undergo an official test for surface hardness next week to answer questions about its condition. The district has performed a rudimentary “golf ball test,” which measures the hardness of a surface by how high the ball bounces when it is dropped on the track. The higher the bounce, the hard- er the surface. Based on those tests, the surface is holding up well, despite being installed in 2004, district officials said. However, coaches and athletes have expressed concerns about the potential for in- juries such as shin splints and have altered training schedules to avoid the risk. “The current surface appears to absorb more impact than the top-of-the-line material used to patch the surface three years ago,” Facilities Manager Kevin Montague said. “We will, however, have more data once the consultant performs the testing next week.” Montague said the consultant who examined the track’s condi- tion in July determined the track is in good condition, but sug- gested testing with the machine. “He also offered to locate a testing machine that his company has to test the hardness at no cost to the district,” he said. He added tracks, unlike turf fields, don’t have established pa- rameters for determining what is too hard. Superintendent Michelle Johnstone said the district needs to begin planning for replacing the track when it is needed, whether that be immediately or down the line. “We need to figure out how to get that into the budget somehow and set that money aside, so if we don’t repair the track this year, we start making movement toward getting it repaired,” she said. SCHOOL NOTES Dallas Family Night Out ready for school DALLAS — Summer still is going strong, but it’s time to start thinking about getting ready for back to school. Dallas Family Night Out on Aug. 17 at Dallas Methodist Church, 565 LaCreole Drive, has all the bases covered for get- ting students back into class, from school supplies to haircuts. The event runs from 3 to 7 p.m. This year, Dallas Family Night Out has joined forces with Sal- vation Army’s Tools for Schools Program and the Apple Tree School Drive in an effort to help more families. “Our committee is working on reaching even more families to distribute more backpacks and school supplies to Dallas- area residents,” said Sheri Beehner, the event’s coordinator. Dallas Family Night Out will offer backpacks with school sup- plies, haircuts, immunizations, well-child checkups, a clothing giveaway for the whole family, a free meal, games and prizes and entertainment. All services are offered for free and day-of sign up for a back- packs and supplies is available. Parents should bring proof of Dallas residency to pick up a backpack, including a driver’s li- cense, state ID, utility bill, or lease agreement. For more information: sbeehner@wvpha.org. ‘Tools for School’ set for Aug. 18 in FC FALLS CITY — The Salvation Army and Falls City Christian Church is gearing up to give away 175 backpacks packed with school supplies on Aug. 18. The event will be at George Kitchen Park or Upper Park in Falls City from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. More than just school supplies, the giveaway offers dinner, haircuts, a resource fair, bouncy house, face painting and more. Those who attend the Falls City School District will be eligi- ble to receive a free backpack stuffed with supplies with photo identification or proof of Falls City residence. For more information, contact Nicole Bats at The Salvation Army Polk County office, 503-623-9664 ext. 2481. If you would like to donate to this event, contact Lacey Carl- son at 503-798-4843. Whitworth seismic upgrade set for 2017 DALLAS — The Dallas School District and the state have fi- nalized a contract allowing the district to use a $1.493 million grant for seismic upgrades at Whitworth Elementary School. By the terms of the contract, the work needs to take place within two years of the grant being awarded. In order to meet that timeline, the upgrades are scheduled for the summer of 2017. “It’s going to make for a busy summer next year,” said Facili- ties Manager Kevin Montague. Central faucets show little, no lead INDEPENDENCE — Central School District officials began testing faucets and sinks in school buildings in June. Results were recently returned, showing no detection of lead in nine of the 14 samples pulled. The highest sample showed 5.9 parts per billion. It was taken from the upper building water fountain at Talmadge Middle School. Stating that no level of lead is considered safe, facilities man- ager Cec Koontz said that further testing will be done on those faucets that showed any lead at all. “We’ve been waiting on those results just to confirm we aren’t facing an actionable problem,” Koontz said. For registration information, as well as other school news, see Page 2A