(Spencer)– Nearly 40 people attended a public hearing and work session Monday evening held by the Spencer school board. Declining enrollment and cuts from the state have the district looking at 900-thousand dollars in budget cuts for the upcoming school year.
Superintendent Greg Ebeling provided historical data on the district going as far back as the 1994-’95 school year. Since then, the district’s expenditures have increased each year, while revenue has decreased the last two years. Ebeling says the Spencer school district is averaging a 1.5 percent increase in revenues and at the same time is seeing a 3.3 percent increase in expenditures. Ebeling sites high personnel costs as the main factor behind increased expenditures. When it comes to supplies, Ebeling says Spencer actually spends less than his former district, Maquoketa Valley, which has a much smaller enrollment.
Ebeling also defended the school board from comments he’s been receiving from some residents accusing the district of frivolous spending.
Ebeling told the crowd Monday one possible way of increasing revenue is to adopt the Instructional Support Levy.
The Spencer school board will hold a work session January 17th to review the initial budget-cutting measures presented by the administration. A public hearing will follow on January 21st. The board will make additional adjustments to the budget January 24th, with the final proposed budget to be presented to the public February 10th. The board will take final action on it at their regular meeting February 28th.
(Story from Danielle Hitchings of sister station KDWD Hot 100 in Spencer.).
