McDonald schools treasurer says revenues are up

May 10, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

By Mary R. Smith

McDONALD

The McDonald school district’s projected year-end balance in 2015 has gone up about $45,000 based on new projections since October.

In a five-year forecast presented to the board Monday, Treasurer Brian Stidham said that revenues have gone up a little more than expected and expenditures have decreased since a five-year forecast was presented in October 2010.

So a projected $47,711 carryover balance for 2015 has gone up to $93,371.

Stidham, however, said the forecast can change again.

Also in play is what Gov. John Kasich’s budget winds up being. The budget has passed the Ohio House by a narrow margin but must now go through the Ohio Senate.

“It can all change by 2015 by a long shot,” Stidham said.

Current projections are for a $6.246 million in expenditures in 2015, and two levies are up for renewal in 2014 and 2015. The first is a 3.9-mill emergency levy in 2014 for five years to generate $205,000 annually and a 4.9-mill, five-year emergency levy in 2015 to generate $260,000 annually.

Voters approved a 10.75-mill, five-year levy May 3 to generate $580,000 annually.

The board Monday passed a special resolution thanking the voters: “The residents of the McDonald Local Schools generously sacrificed by approving the emergency levy in the most difficult and challenging economic times.”

The board also honored several employees and residents who were on the school levy committee for their efforts to help get the levy pass. They included residents Jerry Andrews, Patrick McCarthy, Nat Gallo, Sean Murphy, Lori Chepke, Tammy Camuso, John Saganich of the levy committee, and employees Carol Augustine, Gary Carkido, Lou Domitrovich, Diane Fossacecca, Chris Rupe, Pam Streb and Dan Williams.

The cost of school lunches for the 2011-12 school year will be the same at $2.50, but milk will go up from 35 cents to 50 cents for Roosevelt Elementary School.

A one-year contract for natural gas for the district was approved for $5.75 per cubic foot with Gas Search. That’s a reduction from the $6.74 the district had been paying. An electricity contract was approved through May 2014 with First Energy Power for Schools, a conglomerate of state school-related groups, at 5.28 cents per kilowatt hour. The rate had been 5 cents per kilowatt hour.

The board also accepted donations from the following: $5,000 from Tim Cherotti of Horizon Management Services Co. of Cleveland to the football program. He is a graduate of McDonald high school; $50 anonymous donation for the football program in the name of Jenny Shimko; and $150 donation from Mickey Meser to be deposited into the high school principal’s fund.