School board to decide on tentative '05-'06 budget

The Carson City School District Board of Trustees will take a second look at the 2005-'06 school year tentative budget, including its $1.16-million projected deficit, at its school board meeting Tuesday night.

The public is invited to attend the 7 p.m. meeting in the Sierra Room of the Community Center, 851 E. William St.

"My thought on this whole thing is the day of reckoning is coming," said trustee John McKenna during a public budget meeting last week. "I don't feel there's a lot of reckoning that we need to be a smaller district with fewer staff and larger class sizes."

The school board is expected to make a decision about approving the budget, which needs to be turned into the Department of Taxation by June 8.

One difficulty with this year's budget is that the projected expenditures of $54 million exceed the $52.9 million in revenues by about $1.16 million.

That decreases the beginning fund balance, which starts at $2.9 million, to $1.7 million. And $1.5 million of that balance is set away for a rainy day in the future - the 2006-'07 school year when per pupil funding from the state is expected to drop as much.

That leaves essentially $236,108 in unreserved funds at the end of the year.

Compare that to ending-fund balances in the 2004-'05 year of $1.4 million and in the 2003-'04 year of $3.5 million.

Bob Anderson, director of fiscal services for the school district, informed the school board that up to 50 percent of the projected deficit, approximately $6 million, could be decreased through upcoming decisions in the Legislature about the property tax cap, salary increases and teacher retirement credits.

"Unfortunately, what we thought would happen (Friday) may be postponed until next week," he said.

Often times, legislative decision affecting tentative budgets are not determined before the budget is due. Amended budgets may be filed.

Anderson has said that all legislative decisions, except for one, would positively affect the district's budget. The one decision that would negatively impact the tentative budget is if the Legislature changes hold-harmless funding - the district would be looking at revenues of $52.5 million instead of $52.9 and the predicted deficit increasing to $1.5 million.

n Contact reporter Maggie O'Neill at moneill@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.

If you go

What: School board meeting, open to the

public

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Sierra Room of the Community Center, 851 E. William St.

Info: 283-2100