Citizens who spoke at Monday’s budget hearing at the East Porter County school board meeting sought more detail on spending.
The board didn’t respond to the comments and is expected to consider adoption of the proposed $36 million 2025 budget at a 7 p.m. Oct. 14 meeting at Morgan Township school.
The biggest chunk of the budget is $18,499,000 million in the education fund that’s based on the district’s student count taken twice a year. The state revenue funds teacher salaries and other instructional expenses. Book rental costs are also covered by the education fund.
The $8.75 million operations fund is the next largest and it covers maintenance, administrative salaries, transportation costs and capital projects. Its revenue is derived from local property taxes and transfers from the education fund, if needed.
The district has a $7.96 million debt service fund and a $850,000 rainy day fund.
Officials said the district lost $220,000 to tax caps. The district’s assessed valuation has increased, which will lower its tax rate, officials said.
Resident Jarrett Gulbrandsen, of Kouts, questioned transfers out of the education fund that many districts rely on to shore up the operations fund.
“It should be zero,” he said of the transfers. “Do not transfer it to fund pet projects.”
Micah Bell questioned the spending on transportation.
“Everyone gets buses much cheaper by tens of thousands of dollars,” he said.
He also questioned the roof repair costs in the capital projects budget, which called for increments of $150,000 for roof repairs at schools.
“The roof repair budget is unclear. We all want more detail,” said Bell who lives in South Haven but said his wife teaches in East Porter.
Natalie Bowersock criticized the budget’s presentation.
“I saw a lot of things we could do better,” she said. She cited a presentation she read on the Valparaiso Community Schools’ budget.
“They set the bar high. What you’ve represented today indicated what we’re using our money for. Valparaiso had a 12-slide presentation and they went over how they are analyzing the budget. It was 22 pages. I hope we can do better.”
In other business, the school board approved establishing a speech and debate team at Morgan Township High School under the direction of English teacher April Trussell-Smith.
She told the board it provides a pathway to success in college and in careers. Other benefits include higher self-esteem and better behavior and attendance.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.