The Manawa School Board unanimously approved a $3.3 million tax levy Monday, Oct. 29.
The levy will be raised with a tax rate of $10.01 per $1,000 of equalized value, down 74 cents per $1,000 from last year.
The school district’s total budget for the 2012-13 school year will be $7.576 million.
The district currently is on schedule to pay off its debt in 2013-14. Brian Adesso, director of finance, said once the debt is paid off, the tax levy “will go down a lot more.”
When looking closer at the 2012-13 budget shows a decrease of $387,184 or 4.86 percent from last year’s budget of $7.96 million.
The General Fund and Special Education Fund are spent as follows: 74 percent on salary and benefits, 16 percent on supportive costs (utilities, maintenance, custodial, transportation, administrative supplies and leases), and 10 percent on instructional cost (does not include salaries).
The money to fund the various programs comes from the following sources: 62 percent from state aid, 30 percent from local taxpayers, 2 percent from the federal government and 6 percent from student fees, athletic admissions, interest income and other miscellaneous receipts.
Revenue in the budget includes an increase of $36,000 from state sources and a decrease of $149,000 from federal sources.
Paul Sturm, board treasurer, said the district is “stable” and the budget is fully funded.
Eight resolutions were approved at the annual meeting. They are as follows:
a. There shall be levied upon the taxable property of the School District of Manawa, the sum of $2.32 million for the operation and maintenance of the public schools for the school year 2012-13, $939,700 for Referendum Debt Retirement and $40,000 for Community Service with a combined total of $3.3 million.
b. School board member salaries to stay the same as last year. The salaries are as follows: president, vice-president and clerk receive $1,500 per year per office; directors receive $1,200 and the treasurer receives no salary. It was also authorized that the board members shall be paid $50 per day when traveling outside the district to attend meetings, workshops, etc., in performance of their duties. No payment shall be made unless authorized by the annual or special common school district meeting.
c. Authorized that the school board of the School District of Manawa is authorized to furnish free textbooks for use in the school system and to establish a penalty for unusual or unreasonable wear according to rules that may be established by said board.
d. Authorized that the Board of Education for the School District of Manawa is directed to furnish hot lunches and milk to any and all students of said district at places and times and at a cost to be set by said school board. The school board is also authorized to pay any deficiency which may result from this lunch program.
e. Authorized that electors of the School District of Manawa sell any property belonging to and not needed by the district for school purposes.
f. Authorized that the Board of Education of the School District of Manawa is directed to provide for the prosecution or defense of any action or proceeding in which the district is interested for the remainder of the 2012-13 school year.
g. Authorize the Board of Education of the School District of Manawa may provide for accident insurance covering pupils in the district and that the cost and expenditures for the insurance is authorized.
h. Authorize the date for the 2013 Annual Meeting to be on Monday,