Carson City School District budget hearing Wednesday

A public hearing to review the Carson City School District’s 2015-2016 Fiscal Year budget will take place at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Carson City School District offices, 1402 W. King St.

The budget still is very much in doubt as the district waits for the Legislature to finish its work. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on June 1.

The budget laid out by Andrew Feuling, director of Fiscal Services for the school district, has a $2.7 million deficit for FY16. The school district plans to cover the deficit with some of its $9.3 million general fund reserves.

Feuling has projected $29,568,498 for local revenues in FY2015 and $30,298,956 for FY16. That includes roughly $18.6 million from property taxes, $36 million from local services tax, $3.2 million from goods and services taxes and about $1.5 in local revenues. Feuling said those local revenues are an expected increase of about $700,000. State revenues are expected to be $27,043,885 for FY 15 and $26,646,411 for FY16. That means total revenues for FY15 are at $56,750,313 and $57,010,367 for FY16. Total expenditures are expected $50,456,714 for FY15 and $51,777,207 for FY 16.

Total instructional expenditures — classroom related — for FY15 were at $29,639,235 and $30,663,448 for FY16. Support costs, everything outside of the classroom, is estimated at $20,817,479 for FY15 and $21,113,759 for FY16.

“I think we are also looking at perception of community and staff because a lot of the news is positive with the economy —with sales tax projections, state purchases — so all those things lead you to think that the school district must be doing OK because the school district is doing OK, but in reality we are still struggling with some of the same concepts that we have ...,” said Richard Stokes, district superintendent.

The biggest issue the school board and school district is concerned with is the FY17 budget. The school loses Race to the Top grant funding both the district officials and school board have expressed a desire to get an early start on that budget. Feuling said that will be made easier once the Legislature finishes its work.