Mar 28, 2017 3 min read

Belle Vernon School Board got an update Monday about the continuing development of a budget for the 2017-18 school year.

Superintendent Dr. John Wilkinson told board members he has been “plugging away” at the budget with new business manager James Dzurica. He said Dzurica, who only became the business manager at the end of January, is not yet comfortable with every line item in the budget, so he has been going through a justification for each one.

“You name it, he’s gone through it,” Wilkinson said. An auditing firm has also double-checked the district’s financial picture.

The board in January delayed approving a preliminary budget while making the transition in business managers and to get a more complete idea of its financial position.

Wilkinson said Dzurica has focused on the salaries within the budget, checking them for accuracy because a few mistakes there can add up quickly.

“Our goal is to have a really good picture of the budget by the end of April,” Wilkinson said. He said he will present details to the board regarding the budget at its April 18 workshop meeting and before convening with the board the first week of May to work on the spending plan.

He said administrators are not sure if a tax increase will be needed yet, but it is “going to be an option” that will be discussed when he meets with the board in May.

Wilkinson said the district will need additional revenue. He noted although it will get funding from the state, changes in transportation reimbursements will mean a reduction. “It’s like they are giving us $5 and taking $3 away,” Wilkinson said.

Wilkinson noted the district’s unassigned fund balance is $264,000. He said he is not comfortable with that number and would like to raise that to about $4 million. He said part of the reason for the unassigned fund balance being low is because of “rising costs in everything.”

Increases in salaries for district employees, retirement contributions and the cost of doing business have been eating away at the fund balance. Wilkinson said using the fund balance to cover costs is like “using our savings account to pay our bills.” Dzurica noted the state retirement contribution will increase by 32.5 percent.

The board also accepted the resignations of varsity cheerleading coach Alicia Lyons and junior varsity cheerleading coach Alexa Miler. Director John M. Nusser, Jr. said interviews will be held Thursday for the varsity girls’ soccer coach and varsity cheerleading coach positions.

Vice President Lou Rood said the board will then make a decision and authorize the new coaches to begin practices. The hirings will be made official at the April meeting.

“We’ve done that before when we’ve been caught in between,” Rood said. He said giving authorization as soon as the coaches are chosen will allow for the soccer team to begin spring activities and to organize summer and fall schedules. He said it will also help with the tryouts for cheerleading, which are already scheduled with West Virginia University judges.