At its June 8 work session, the Cheney School Board got a good look at its 2016-17 budget.
Kassidy Probert, the district’s director of finance, said he budgeted for 4,360 full-time equivalent students, 37 more than last year.
Probert said there have been spikes in enrollment in the last couple of years — 4,173 in 2014 and 4,323 in 2015 — which was due to the district implementing full-time kindergarten.
The district’s overall revenues are expected to come in at over $52.33 million with expenses at just over $52.27 million for a surplus of $56,508 at the end of the year. The excess will be added to the beginning fund balance, currently at over $3.79 million, for an estimated total of over $3.84 million.
From the revenue side, state funding accounts for just over $38.054 million of the total, up from over $36.5 million from last year.
Salaries for certified and classified employees increased to just over $23.66 million and over $7.84 million, respectively. Salaries and benefits amount to 84 percent of the expenditures.
Associate Superintendent Sean Dotson said the district plans to hire 29 new certified staff employees, 20 classified workers and five administration. When asked if the hiring will be finished before the start of the school year, Probert said certified employees are hired in the spring while “classified employee hires are typically all year round.”
Director Mitch Swenson asked if the certified staff numbers will change. Dotson said the district could hire more staff if there is an increase in student population in “one particular area.”
“Staff has built capacity into the budget to hire additional employees,” Dotson added.
Supplies and materials are projected at over $3.5 million, which is down from $4.5 million of last year’s budget.
The Associated Student Body fund’s revenues are projected at $363,066 with expenses at $380,218. The $17,152 difference will be taken from the beginning fund balance of $334,982 with an ending fund balance projected at $317,830.
The biggest increase in the ASB fund was at Sunset Elementary School, which will have $2,503. Superintendent Dr. Deb Clemens said Sunset had not used ASB funds in the past.
“There are some schools that have parent-teacher organizations that do a lot of fundraisers,” she said.
ASB expenses for Westwood and Cheney middle schools increased to $94,565.
“This is because the middle schools are focusing on leadership and uniform replacement,” Probert said.
The capital projects fund will have revenues projected at $662,000 with the previous year’s ending balance of over $1.2 million and expenditures at over $1.69 million. The ending fund balance is estimated at $182,603.
Projects include IT levy funds and wiring reserve at Cheney and Westwood middle schools.
The transportation fund revenue is estimated at $464,000 with expenditures at $870,000. Probert said the district will purchase three new buses.
“We may add new bus routes depending on if we hire enough drivers,” Probert added.
Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.
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