School board adopts reduced budget [The Morehead News, Ky.]

May 28--"Things are tight but we will be having school next year," said Supt. Marvin Moore told the Rowan County Board of Education as he presented a reduced operating budget.

The tentative budget for the 2013-14 school year was approved unanimously with a $415,000 cut in SEEK funds, a payment of $120,000 to the Kentucky Teachers Retirement System and an unknown amount of state and federal funding cuts.

"Exact numbers are still up in the air because we do not have final approval or all the numbers but this is what we have hammered out to the best of our ability," said Glen Teager, district finance director. "We have had to reduce some staff positions and couldn't do added raises but it is a fairly solid budget and where it needs to be at this point."

The district offset some of the shortfalls of the general fund budget by tapping into its capital outlay funds to pay for district insurance.

The board accepted bids for insurance after its previous insurer, Kentucky School Board Insurance Trust (KSBIT), declared bankruptcy.

The bid of Roeding Insurance of $173,283 for property, fleet, educators' legal liability, general liability and umbrella coverage was accepted.

Workers' compensation for the district will be covered by the Commonwealth Risk Company at a cost of $143,915.68. The board also renewed its student insurance program with Roberts Insurance for $39,522.11.

John Maxey, district technology coordinator, was happy to announce that the school district was approved for an increase of Internet bandwidth to 250 megs at no cost to the district.

"It is going to give everyone a much faster connection. Students will be able to use Internet sources more, increase teleconferencing and streaming video," said Maxey. "We consistently use up what we have been allocated in the past so this gives us many more capabilities to use technology in the classroom."

A $100,000 grant was awarded for Tilden Hogge and Clearfield elementary schools. The work began earlier in the year and has been completed at Clearfield and is almost complete at Tilden Hogge.

"These two schools were the only ones that met the criteria for the grant and it enables those schools to have a wireless Internet connection in their buildings, a fast connection and more computer stations," said Maxey. "Many of the teachers utilize iPads in interactive teaching so this really aids in that type of instruction that the students respond to so positively."

The board reluctantly passed a 10-cent increase in school lunch prices from the current $1.85 to $1.95. If the increase had not been approved, the district would be at risk of losing its free lunch reimbursements.

Additionally, the board renewed Kentucky Bank as its official depository. Board Chair Bill Redwine abstained from the vote because he sits on the bank's local board.

The board also accepted bids on six decommissioned school buses at an average of about $2,000 each.

Maxey announced that the district had been recognized as an Energy Star Leader by reducing electrical energy consumption by 20 percent across all schools.

Shayla Menville can be reached at smenville@themoreheadnews.com or by telephone at 784-4116.

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