December 1, 2014 at 6:30 PM - Budget Committee Meeting

Description: 
Please feel free to contact me at ssummers@waunakee.k12.wi.us or 608-849-2491 if you have any questions. Thanks for your time. 

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to discuss the projected end of the year balance. The 2014-15 budget approved in October included a $40,000 contingency. The budget also included a one-year only high school social studies teacher at a cost of $60,000, meaning the contingency fund will return to $100,000 in 2015-16. The 2014-15 budget includes unallocated funds of $965,815 designated for wage/salary increases, $60,000 designated to return the contingency to $100,000, and $30,012 designated for the Accounting Specialist position for half a year. The administration is recommending that the Assistant Principal position for the Intermediate School be funded through the revenue cap operational referendum as previously planned, starting with the 14-15 school year. The only major cost addition at this point is a $37,535 open enrollment tuition estimate received from the Madison Metropolitan School District (see attached). The only concern at this point is the federal maintenance of effort requirement for special education. We may have to make adjustments at the end of the fiscal year to comply with this requirement. We meet this requirement according to our budget, but we will also have to meet this requirement with our actual spending at the end of the year. I will be able to project end of the year balances after a decision on wage/salary increases for all employee groups has been made by the School Board. 

Please contact Steve Summers at 608-849-2491 or ssummers@waunakee.k12.wi.us if you have any questions on this agenda item. Thanks for your time.  

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to discuss the use of the revenue cap referendum proceeds. Attached please find a document that outlines a potential use of these funds over the next 4 years. I would like to review the phased in approach that we used for this referendum, as well as the options to expend these funds over this 4 year period of time. We know what the intended use of these funds are once we reach the forth year, and beyond, but we have flexibility in how these funds are allocated for the first three years.  The bold amounts on the attachment highlight the uses that would be flexible during the first 3 years. The administration is seeking input from the committee on approaches to allocate these funds during the first three years. 

Please contact Steve Summers at 608-849-2491 or ssummers@waunakee.k12.wi.us if you have any questions on this agenda item. Thanks for your time.  

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to request approval of the Accounting Specialist position. Attached please find a job description for the new position “Accounting Specialist”, and the results of a staffing survey. As some background, during the 13-14 school year, the business office conducted a survey of district office staffing levels across a wide variety of regional school districts. We received responses from 37 districts to this survey. The average district has a 1.0 FTE in the business office for every 966 students. The average district in the size range of 3,500 - 4,500 students has a 1.0 FTE in the business office for every 1,009 students. Based on the averages, the business office in Waunakee is understaffed by over 1.0 FTE. I am requesting to increase business office staffing to respond to an audit suggestion after the 12-13 fiscal year, plus the additional business services provided as a result of the successful referendum. The business office will be challenged to be able to provide the necessary services for the $44 million referendum without additional staff. I would recommend the creation of the “Accounting Specialist” position as a Level 3 position, with a minimum starting pay of $17.50/hour. The cost of the position is estimated at $60,000. I would propose three options:  

1.    Transfer the Administrative Assistant to the Business Manager to the Accounting Specialist position, and hire a .50 FTE Administrative Assistant to the Business Manager. This option would increase the business office staffing by .50, and cost approximately $30,000.

2.    Hire a 1.0 FTE Accounting Specialist, and have a 1.0 FTE which is shared as follows: .75 FTE Administrative Assistant to the Business Manager and .25 FTE for Administrative Assistant to the Director of Facilities. This option would increase the business office staffing by .75 FTE and the maintenance department by .25 FTE, and cost approximately $60,000. In this option, I propose that the Administrative Assistant to the Business Manager take over the purchasing/accounting responsibility for the maintenance department, which will also help address administrative support to this department.

3.    Hire a 1.0 FTE Accounting Specialist, and continue with a 1.0 FTE Administrative Assistant to the Business Manager. This option would increase the business office staffing by 1.0 FTE, and cost approximately $60,000. In this option, the Administrative Assistant to the Business Manager would not take over the purchasing/accounting responsibility for the maintenance department, which will require a separate proposal at some point to address the necessary support for this department.

I believe that Option 2 best addresses the needs for both the business office and the maintenance department, and would greatly help both departments meet the increased work load of the referendum. I would like to request a recommendation from the budget committee for the December 8th School Board meeting. 

Please contact Steve Summers at ssummers@waunakee.k12.wi.us or 849-2491 if you have any questions. Thanks for your consideration.  

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to discuss the 2015-16 budget planning process. The administration will be requesting a Special Board meeting in January/February to review the major budget requests. We are planning to introduce these major budget requests earlier in the budget process, so School Board members are aware of these requests before being asked to approve the budget. The Governor will propose the 2015-17 state budget in February of 2015, and we will begin the budget planning process based on the Governor's proposals. I would like to request a January meeting of the Budget Committee to review the first drafts of the 2015-16 budget planning documents.  

Please contact Steve Summers at 608-849-2491 or ssummers@waunakee.k12.wi.us if you have any questions on this agenda item. Thanks for your time.  

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to discuss the first phase of the borrowing for the November 4th borrowing. I have attached the example financial plans proposed by PMA Financial Group when they were selected as the financial advisers for the district. The first phase involves borrowing $10,000,000 at the December 8th School Board meeting to make sure we are capturing the $10,000,000 annual bank qualified status funds. These bank qualified funds are the lowest cost borrowings that we can complete. The Budget Committee will need to have discussions in early 2015 regarding the second step of the borrowing process, as there are several options available. 

Please contact Steve Summers at 608-849-2491 or ssummers@waunakee.k12.wi.us if you have any questions on this agenda item. Thanks for your time.  

Description:  There are no items to discuss this month.