Administrators and board members discussed the fiscal state of Trimble Local School District at last night's board meeting.
After last month's board meeting, where district Superintendent Jack Loudin announced that the district would have to remain in fiscal emergency and look at eliminating staff positions, Loudin met with the district's treasurer to develop three five-year budget scenarios for the district.
The district's board members have also been researching ways to cut current costs and projected future costs The news I'm going to give you is not good news
said board member Marvin Shamhart.
Shamhart is on the buildings and grounds committee where he worked with maintenance personnel to look into future costs for the district. Shamhart said the high school has a leaking roof that will eventually need repaired at a cost of $250,000. A gym room that leaks could also cost $50,000 to repair. Coolers at the high school will cost $6,000 and $35,000 to be replaced.
In all, the projected cost of maintenance will be around $40,000 to $50,000 in the next three to four years, Shamhart said. Loudin said only a fraction of that was considered in the projected five-year scenarios.
We're operating on luck Loudin said.
Board member Bret Swart, who is on the personnel committee, said the committee would make recommendations for staff cuts in April.
Auditors have been assigned to help the district get out of its financial troubles. The budget scenario for the next five years that Loudin endorsed and that the auditors approved of included not just cuts in the spending but new revenue that will have to be generated.
Over the next month, Loudin and the district's treasurer will be going around the district explaining the district's financial position to staff and community members and asking them to help find ways to cut spending and raise extra funds for the schools.
However, even though the auditors looking over the budget are pleased that the district, based on this scenario, will be out of fiscal emergency in five years, they still want to go over the numbers again.
[The auditors'] worst fear is to remove us from fiscal emergency and then in a year or two have to put us back in it Loudin said.
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