By Rebecca Dopp
Times-News Correspondent
Transportation costs within the school district have
always been the subject of discussion at board workshops,
but with the rising cost of fuel this year, actions were
taken to "stop the bleeding", so to speak.
The district put into effect, temporarily, a
regulation that said field trips would not take place beyond
a 50 mile radius, limit one bus per activity per week, and
the district will not approve any activity over a 170 mile
limit.
Transportation costs are paid by two budgets that the
district receives money from: through the State Office of
Education that basically funds to and from school; and a
local levy which is earmarked, by law, for field trips and
activities.
Superintendent Kirk Wright said in year's past they
co-mingled those two funds because they had to pro-rate them
anyway. The state does not reimburse for field trips or
activities, but does reimburse for to and from
transportation.
Darin Clark, clerk/treasurer, presented several graphs
to illustrate where the district sits concerning
transportation costs.
In the past five years, to and from travel has stayed
about the same, just under 80,000 miles each year. But, in
activity travels for 2005, there was an estimated 22%
increase over the previous year, roughly just over 8,000
miles more. Clark attributed some of it to the football,
basketball, and wrestling programs going further in the
state playoffs last year.
The next graph showed the transportation cost/revenue
(excluding the cost of the bus). Some years showed revenues
in the black, others in the red. Overall, in the years
2001-2004, costs were pretty close, but in 2005 expenditures
were significantly higher than revenues. Clark attributed
this jump to a bad year for repairs and the rising cost of
fuel.
"All of a sudden, we have a big deficit," Clark said.
"It's about $51,384."
Clark said that activities were subsidized by money
received from the schools, mostly pay-to-play funds.
Board member Delanie Hathaway asked how much money the
school receives from pay-to-play fees. Paul Messersmith,
activities director, said that they receive a maximum of
$8,000-$10,000 in fees per year, from all activities. He
said that doesn't cover all their expenditures and they have
to subsidize at the end of the year.
Clark referred to the graph that added in the cost of
the bus, and subsequently, each program (to and from and
activities) suffered a substantial deficit, a total of
$141,384.
Clark said the state reimbursed only $16,000 of the
$90,000 purchase price of a new bus.
President Leon Pexton observed that the categories
regarding salaries, repairs and maintenance, and fuel have
increased every year while other categories, such as other
travel and miscellaneous, stayed roughly the same.
Clark did say that the district received some growth
in their assessed evaluation, and so they will get an
additional $21,000-$22,000 in special transportation
funds.
"It just may offset this last increase in gas, but
won't really help us from the start of the year. It will
probably be a break-even situation," Clark said.
Wright said that the school had done some things to
make cuts as well. He said Messersmith had canceled two
Varsity buses and one JV bus for football, canceled the trip
to Parowan in volleyball, paid the entry fee for the
tournament, and canceled the away Varsity football trips for
cheerleaders due to decrease in bus space for players and
equipment.
"We've already had to rent an Excursion to haul the
equipment, and we've had to leave several players at home,"
said Messersmith and Principal Rick Durbin.
Wright continued saying that the school had canceled
the cross-country trip to North Summit, canceled the Millard
golf trip, canceled girls basketball trip to Bryce Valley
and Valley tournaments, moved the boys basketball game
against Delta to a home game, canceled the North Summit and
South Summit away wrestling duel meets, canceled the St.
George tournament for softball, and the Mesquite tournament
for baseball because they fell within the 170 mile limit.
The school is limiting track to one bus per trip.
Drill team would be limited by not going to away
playoff games, but would still get their competition
trips.
The FFA's state fair trip was also canceled because it
fell within the 170 mile limit. Wright said that
competitions and state convention for the FFA were still
safe.
Messersmith said that by canceling some of these trips
where a verbal contract had been made, fines could be
assessed by the UHSAA.
"Obviously, the regulations that are now in place were
to 'stop the bleeding' until we [the board] could
take a look at this and discuss it," Wright said. "Some of
these decisions are arbitrary."
He said that transportation is an MNO item, so if it
needs to be subsidized, for example, $50,000, then it would
have to come out of the general fund-10.
Clark said that preliminary audit reports show a
$128,000 deficit that would be covered out of 10% of basic
funds.
Board members Rick Welsh and Hathaway said that they
would like to reevaluate the restrictions, and turn it back
to the schools to decide how to make the cuts, staying
within a budget.
"But we need to be fair," said Messersmith. "Football
and volleyball are already being impacted."
Pexton said that the restrictions are only a partial
healing because the price of fuel, repairs, etc. cannot be
foreseen, and that the board needs to set goals: 1. contain
the dollars within the pre-described budget, 2. split the
impact evenly, and 3. creatively solve some of the inequity
problems, given the money the school has at their
disposal.
He suggested that the board set up a dynamic framework
saying that they give the schools the concept, the goals of
the board, and have the school report back periodically.
Hathaway made the motion to reverse the former
restrictions, and allow the Superintendent to set limits on
field trips, but only on a dollar amount and not a mile
limit. She felt that the schools should decide what's most
important, be it one trip outside the 50 mile limit, or two
trips within the limit.
Welsh seconded the motion, but wanted to add that the
activities department, including all extracurricular
activities, be given an allotted amount of money and let
them manage it.
Messersmith said by reversing the restrictions it
might, and probably would, create more problems than help,
meaning that certain programs would want certain trips
reinstated, which he felt he didn't have the budget to
cover.
"You're in a catch-22," said Wright.
Pexton said that he would like to have the board
instructed to determine what the dollar cap should be for
the activities department. Durbin said he was putting
together the numbers from the past few years and would
present them to the board.
Welsh made a substitute motion which included 1. the
district administration is directed to establish a dollar
cap for the various schools and activities, 2. the dollar
cap is subject to collaborative management between the
superintendent and the various schools to deal with the
ongoing programs, i.e. set it up, review it, change it as
needed to meet the dollar cap, 3. recognize that all
activities will have a general fund subsidy applied to it to
make up the difference, and 4. have the administrators
produce a status report and get back with the board
periodically.
The motion was approved.
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