Monday, January 26, 2004
The savings would not cover one month of busing, the treasurer said.
MINERAL RIDGE -- The Weathersfield School District is not expected to use savings from Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation insurance to restore school busing.
Some parents suggested using the $16,727 savings to pay for busing pupils this month and February.
District Treasurer Angela Lewis said today the money will be put in the general fund, and the board will decide what to do with it.
Lewis explained that the savings was given to the district for its payment for 2003, and reduced its bill for the insurance by $16,727.
The district paid $66,908 after the premium reduction for 2003 insurance. The workers' comp bill is paid for after the calendar year is over and is based on total payroll.
Lewis noted the district has had 75-percent and 50-percent discounts on its workers' comp insurance in the past, but added, "The days of big discounts are gone. Luckily, their investments were enough for a discount this year.
"Right now we're holding onto the surplus to try to keep our balances as high as we can."
Amount of savings
The district is realizing a net savings of $150,000 through the end of the 2005 school year with the busing cuts.
She explained that she has calculated that the cost of returning full-scale busing in the district would be $19,590 for one month to pay all nine bus drivers (six bus drivers were laid off with the busing cuts), the transportation coordinator and the bus mechanic.
The figure, she added, would not include the cost of fuel or repairs, extra trips or overtime.
The most recent cuts made by the board made in November to cut busing as of Jan. 5 included eliminating busing for all but kindergarten through eighth-graders who live beyond two miles from school.
The district also has a projected deficit of $339,667 in fiscal year 2006. The Ohio Department of Education is requiring the district to submit a proposal by a Jan. 31 deadline on how it will prevent the deficit.
Lewis said that while the district's income remains relatively the same, expenses keep going up.