Budget changes approved for Bigfork Schools
The Bigfork School Board unanimously approved the recommended 2012-13 budget of $4,426,452.45 for Bigfork Elementary and $2,851,913.61 for Bigfork High School during their meeting on Aug. 9.
The newly approved budget for the elementary school is up by $150,799.16 from last year and the high school’s is down by $121,203.20.
“You know the general fund (for BHS) went down because enrollment isn’t going up,” district clerk Eda Taylor said.
The general funds for the schools had no local levy increase this year; these funds are used for general maintenance and operating costs throughout the year. The general fund for BHS dropped by $63,967.74 from last year’s budget to $2,119,929.94. However, the general fund for BES increased by $191,409.41 to a total of $3,140,057.45.
“Every year we are spending the same percent of our budget on the same categories,” Taylor said. “A good portion goes to salaries and benefits.”
The biggest budget cut for both schools was with the bus depreciation reserve fund, which does not have a local levy. This fund is used to replace route and athletic/activity buses, two-way radio equipment, and additional buses if needed.
For the elementary school, the bus depreciation reserve fund dropped by $47,190.24 to its current amount of $75,859.10. For the high school, this fund dropped by $48,424.72 to its current amount of $148,104.06.
Funding increased at both schools for technology this year. This fund is used to purchase, rent, repair and maintain technological equipment and to provide training for the staff on how to use it.
At the elementary school, technology funds went up by $2,543.14 and at the high school they went up by $2,193.95.
The elementary school’s current budget for technology is now $5,639.36, this includes the $3,213.51 the school will receive from the state. The high school’s technology budget is now $6,091.77, this includes the $2,196.81 the school will receive from the state.
The elementary school’s levy decreased by .92 mills last year and the high school’s levy decreased by 1.81 mills.
In addition to discussing and approving the district’s budget for the year, the trustees also looked at the cash balances for funds other than the budgeted ones such as Little Hoopsters, the school garden, and the golf program.
“If people go online and see our ending balances they could say, ‘look at all that money sitting there,’ so we made a sheet to show how it’s used,” Taylor said.
The following are the district’s other approved final budgets:
• The debt service fund for the elementary school: $475,553.76.
• The building reserve fund: $1,715.42 for the elementary school and $375 for the high school.
• The flexibility fund: $25,860.63 for the elementary school, and $35,494.41 for the high school.
• The tuition fund at the elementary school: $25,571.
• The retirement fund: $387,274 for the elementary school and $276,552 for the high school.
• The transportation funds: $288,921.73 for the elementary school and $256,366.53 for the high school.
To view the full details of the district’s 2012-13 budget, go to the administration section of the district’s web site, bigforkschools.org.