After a public hearing Monday, the Van Buren Public Schools Board of Education approved a balanced budget of $52 million, which necessitated cutting into the fund balance to balance.
By state law, school districts must approve a balanced budget by July 1.
“We’re spending over a quarter of a million dollars more than we’re taking in and we’re running out of people to cut,” said Board President David Peer in explanation.
“We are trying to work it out so we all come out the other side,” he added.
School Supt. Thomas Riutta said the board is trying to “keep everything together.”
He said with no changes, three years down the road the district would be $34 million in deficit.
“There won’t be a Van Buren District,” he said. “We’d have a beautiful new high school that’s vacant.”
Board members said the state has said districts in deficit funding could be combined with other districts.
Financial consultant Tom Taylor said, “Once you spend your fund balance, you become a deficit district and we don’t want to go there … then we’d have to talk to the state about what we’re going to do … You don’t control your own destiny.”
A group of paraprofessionals were present in the audience, apparently alerted to the budget that cuts to zero the number of paraprofessionals in the elementary schools.
At first, board members said the board has yet to make a final decision on the paraprofessionals, but then admitted the parapros they were not in this budget, but could be put back if things work out.
Board members said there were no teacher recalls in the budget, referring to the 81 that were laid off earlier in the year.
The district has assumed 233 fewer students this fall, at $7,700 per student in state aid that would be lost. Taylor said that 130 of that number is from closing the alternative education program.
The state has yet to decide exactly how much state aid the districts will get, and may not make that decision until it has to in October.
Also, since there is a decline in property values, there are a record number of appeals on property taxes, and the district won’t know what “charge backs” they will get from the county on that.
Currently, administrators are meeting with the unions to seek concessions.
“Our objective is to keep this district solvent. We don’t want the state here,” said Trustee Bob Binert.
“This year we eliminated alternative education and career education,” Toth said. “Next year we won’t have those big things to cut and I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Board members said there is nothing in this budget for library books or textbooks.