Board adopts school budget for Decatur School District

DECATUR — School board members voted to pass a budget for the 2013-2014 school year at the June 18 meeting.

The proposed budget includes $4,072,731 million in expenditures and a property tax levy of 39.9 mils. While the budget is a ways out, it is legally required for the upcoming election, superintendent Larry Ben told the school board.

Voters will have to reapprove millage during the September election. While there are no changes in the millage amount, which has already been approved by voters, it’s very important for the amounts of bonded and non-bonded debt to be accurate on the ballot, Ben explained. The property tax forthe Decatur School District is 25 mils for general maintenance and operation and 14.90 mils for debt service, according to the motion, for a total of 39.9 mils.

Beardsley Public Finance helped the school developthe budget and provided suggestions for the parts of the motion that deal with the legal requirements, Ben said.

In other business, school board members voted to accept the resignations of five teachers and hire five teachers to replace them.

Four of the new teachers will work at the Northside Elementary School, and one will work at the high school. The positions were filled on June 18 through the work of the new building principals, Jeff Gravette and Debra Coffer, according to superintendent Larry Ben.

Board member Kevin Smith pointed out the four new elementary teachers represent a 25 percent turnover rate of the elementary school’s 16 classroom teachers.

Ben told the school board that administrative staff and teachers will be attending a number of conferences over the summer, including a Professional Learning Communities at Work conference in Denver, Colo., held last week, an Arkansas Rural Education Conference in Eureka Springs, and an Arkansas Association of Educational Administration conference.