School audit shows more expenditures for 2017-18

The Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education accepted the 2017-18 financial audit at Monday’s regular meeting.
The audit figures for the $50.2 million budget were given in a power-point presentation by Tom Taylor and Laura Payne of Taylor & Morgan, CPAs. Taylor announced it was a clean report, considered “an unmodified audit opinion” which is the “highest level of assurance possible for the district’s financial statements.”
The district’s Financial Director Shareen Barker said the general fund balance decreased from $10,048,122 to $7,972,611 as a result of intentionally spending down the fund balance. As of June 30, 2018, the fund balance is at 16.09% of revenues, she said.
She said this year the district spent more than it brought in because of bus purchases and purchase of a lot of new technology, but what they have is still better than the state’s average fund balance of 13.65%, as of June 30, 2017 (excluding the Detroit Public Schools).
Board treasurer Susan Featheringill said the goal is to keep the district’s fund balance at from 12 to 15% to keep the district from having to borrow while waiting for state funding to arrive each summer.
“The technology we have put in the students’ hands is very impressive,” Barker said.
The power point also showed September state aid membership of 4,646 students for the 2017-18 school year. The Foundation Allowance for those students was $7,779 each.
School Supt. Pete Kudlak said there has been a very small loss of students this year. He said the loss from the 2013-14 to the 2014-15 school year was 107; in 2015-16, a loss of 162; in 2016-17, a loss of 168; in 2017-18, a loss of 54; and this year it was 30.
In other business at the one-hour-and 12-minute meeting, the board:
• Approved hiring Nicholas Sampson as a shipping/receiving courier for Buildings and Grounds, as of Sept. 25; and Jermaine Crowell as a job coach in Special Services, as of Oct. 8;
• Approved the Belleville High School Marching Band attendance at the Outback Bowl during the 2019-20 school year. About 225 students in grades 9-12 will take the Dec. 27, 2019 to Jan. 2, 2020 trip to Walt Disney World and Universal Studio in Orlando, FL and the Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL. Cost to each student is approximately $1,500. The band’s last trip to the Outback Bowl was Dec. 28, 2015-Jan. 1, 2016;
• Heard building presentations by representatives of Edgemont and Savage elementary schools and BHS, describing initiatives they are working on this year to improve education;
• Heard Director of
Special Education Karen Johnston report that the State of Michigan is coming in next Monday to inspect the special education department. “We’ve been cited for some discipline issues in special ed.,” she said;
• Heard School Board President Keith Johnston introduce two more students who will take turns sitting on the school board to offer input. They are Soranya Taylor, president of the junior class, and Maggie Southers, vice-president of the junior class. School Supt. Kudlak said he believes there will be a total of six students, taking turns attending meetings in twos, since they all are so busy;
• Heard Human Resources Director Abdul Madyun report that negotiation on the teachers’ contract will be beginning and it is very useful to know the amount of state aid coming in. Also, he said, the Michigan State Police will be auditing the district on its background checks. He said the MSP is auditing several districts;
• Heard School Supt. Kudlak announce that he attended the first meeting of the 20-member logo committee. There are a lot of concepts on how to change the Tiger representing the district. They are talking to designers and students on how they want to change the look: more ferocious? More cartoony? He said he expects to bring a logo to the board for approval at the beginning of the year; and
• Heard Board Secretary Kevin English say he would like to know more of what BHS is doing to increase its SAT scores.