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McDonald school board OKs $75,000 if needed for more improvements
McDONALD
The board of education Wednesday approved allocating an additional $75,000 for capital improvements for the district if needed in the 2013 fiscal year.
There is currently no funding set aside for improvements, unless the board borrows from the general funds because a 2-mill levy for permanent improvements expired in 2011. It generated about $58,000 annually.
The levy was first passed in May 2001 for five years and renewed once in 2006, according to district interim Treasurer Bill Johnson.
The board spent $38,000 on capital improvements in 2012.
Other general fund advances or transfers approved by the board included $200 to the lunch room, $700 to the elementary- school support fund, $3,400 to the yearbook fund, $900 to the athletic fund and $892 to the Class of 2009.
Johnson explained that the football fund was short due to it having to cover more insurance and transportation costs. He added that football revenues were down as well.
Board President Jack Dugan noted that the football program at times had to lease or rent buses to move teams, adding that a new bus purchased by the district, which should be delivered in July, will alleviate some of that problem.
The lunch room, on the other hand, has done extremely well in recovering from what was once a $30,000 deficit, board member Eric Shehadi said.
Johnson also said that all of the accounts that were given transfers will have to make up their deficits in fiscal year 2013. He noted the yearbook fund was also large because it spans two years.
Dugan noted he wants to see a breakfast program initiated for students who arrive early to school, and asked that the principals discuss it. He noted that Roosevelt Principal David Vecchione has been able to help with the bottom line for the cafeteria by making sure free and reduced lunches, which are reimbursed by the federal government, are taken advantage of.
The board approved a 2012 amended appropriation figure of $7.341 million. Temporary appropriations of $1.766 million were approved for fiscal year 2013.
The board approved a new maintenance agreement for roofing with Boak and Sons of Austintown for $4,000, and a new natural gas contract with Gas Search L.L.C. of Youngstown, at $4.27 per mcf. This will save the district an expected $10,000 on gas heating, if usage is similar, because the cost of gas is down $1.50 per mcf in the new agreement.
Valuation Engineers of Pittsburgh will inventory school-district property July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013 at a cost of $3,025.