FROM THE DESK OF THE SUPERINTENDENT
by Ed Hawks
April 23, 2008
MAY 2008 DISTRICT DISPATCH
At the regular school board meeting held on Monday, April 14, 2008, the Underwood Community School District Board of Directors approved the certified budget for the 2008-09 school year at a total maximum amount not to exceed $12,399,824. Key information shared with the school board members included the following: (1) taxable valuation in the school district has increased from $167,672,911 to $183,205,764; (2) the general fund property tax levy is projected to decrease from 13.27486 to 12.54234; (3) the management fund property tax levy is projected to decrease from 0.98520 to 0.81875; (4) the schoolhouse fund property tax levy will remain at 0.33; and (5) the debt service property tax levy will decrease from 2.36683 to 2.26645. The grand total property tax rate is projected to be 15.95754. This is a significant decrease of 0.99935 from last year’s property tax rate of 16.95689 and is primarily a result of an increase in the school district’s taxable valuation and less of a need to levy for cash reserve. The school district’s financial condition remains strong. In order to maintain a strong financial position, the school district must closely monitor expenditure increases and guard against becoming overstaffed and underfunded. Our goal is to maintain a cash balance backed by spending authority which enables us to operate for at least two or three months without having to borrow any money.
The Underwood Community School District is joining other communities throughout Iowa to honor its elected school board members during School Board Recognition Week which runs from May 11-17, 2008. “Helping Students Reach New Heights” is this year’s Iowa Association of School Board’s theme. This theme recognizes that school board members are local leaders working hard to help all students succeed and become productive members of society. The members of our local school board are Neil Darrington, Julie Handbury, Greg Konsor, Keith Petersen, and Tim Schwery. When the opportunity presents itself, please join me in telling them “thank you” for a job well done.
There will be a lot of construction activity throughout the school district this summer. On April 7, 2008, the members of school board approved the bid from Rasmussen Mechanical Service Corporation in the amount of $600,964 to install new high efficiency heating, cooling, and ventilating units at the high school this summer. Additional work will include installing a new control system for all of the building’s HVAC needs. All work is scheduled to be completed by the end of July with the entire system fully operational before August 1, 2008. Work will also be continuing on the new middle school/elementary expansion project. Please remember that right after the Fourth of July weekend, work will begin on tearing out the existing elementary parking lot, expanding it, and putting down new asphalt. In addition, the City of Underwood will be redoing Third Street. Things will certainly be a mess for awhile. However, as I mentioned in last month’s District Dispatch, the long-term benefit will outweigh the short-term inconvenience by a large margin.
The last day of classes for students will be Tuesday, May 20, 2008. We will have an 11:30 a.m. dismissal that day. Have a great summer!
