USD 367 Board Approves 2010-11 Budget, Teachers’ Contract

Property owners should not see much change in their tax bill from Osawatomie USD 367 this year.
The Board of Education last Wednesday voted 6-0 to approve the 2010-11 budget. The property tax levy will be 53.146 mills, down slightly from 53.198 mills last year. Though the mill levy is lower, property owners could see a slight increase in their taxes if the appraised valuation of their property increased this year. Most property owners likely will see no change or a slight decrease in their school district tax bill.
The district’s total expenditures for 2010-11 are estimated at $17,948,715, compared to $17,590,875 last year.
The district anticipates levying $2,259,462 in taxes this year, up about $15,000 from $2,234,698 last year.
Jeff Dorsett, school board president, commended Superintendent Gary French on doing a good job of holding the line on the mill levy this year.
Also at the meeting, French provided preliminary enrollment numbers through Aug. 17. The district’s total enrollment was 1,115 students, down 30 from 1,145 students last year. Swenson Early Childhood Education Center reported 74 kindergartners, while Trojan Elementary had a population of 401 students. Osawatomie Middle School had an enrollment of 285 students, and Osawatomie Hill School recorded a student population of 355.
French said he expected enrollment to go up slightly before Labor Day. He said the numbers usually stabilize after that holiday weekend. The official enrollment count submitted to the state will be taken on Sept. 20.
The board also voted 6-0 to approve the teachers’ contract for the 2010-11 school year.
A starting teacher with a bachelor’s degree would receive $36,050, up $375 or about 1 percent over last year’s starting salary of $35,700. The pay scale increased depending on a teacher’s years of experience and the level of college degrees obtained.
With regard to health insurance, the school district will pay $340 toward a single plan, $450 toward a middle level tier and $500 toward a family plan.
Board members also voted 6-0 to approve site council members for the school year.

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Posted by Doug on Aug 25 2010. Filed under News and Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry