Rumor -“There is a lot of “rumbling” about the school lunches. I have been asked about the amount of pizza, fiestadas, etc – the strange meal combinations – no more Christmas and Thanksgiving meal menus - rumors about a stock pile of pizza and french fries…." (posted 11/30/11)

Truth - Just as in all areas of the district, the school kitchens are trying to reduce budget costs. The school district supplemented the food service fund $100,000 during the 2010-2011 school year. In an attempt address the high costs to supplement the food service program, the district is planning on switching our menus to a Rotating 20 day cycle. This means more of the well liked choices and much less of the unpopular ones.

Each spring the kitchens place a Co-op order and preorder the items we plan to use during the following fall school year. This ‘locks us in’ for a cheaper cost and saves quite a sum of money from the budget. Last Spring’s Co-op order needed to go in before the “20 day” plans were finalized. We were locked into accepting the deliveries. Thus in order to accomplish a 20-day cycle menu, we first needed to use up the items not in that cycle…

There are no “stockpiled items”. Potatoes and pizza were two items ordered heavily on the co-op, not realizing that the newer menus wouldn’t have as many places for them. Hence, there is a surplus to move. This also means we had to serve out different combinations of food on the menus and often repeat an item more than twice in the month.

On the positive side, due to all the “strangeness” in the lunch menus, we are nearly up to speed with our planned 20-day cycle. The December menu has much less of the pizza items and our freezer space is nearly back to order. By the start of January we hope to be on the 20 cycle track completely.

As for the Thanksgiving and Christmas menu issues, the Thanksgiving meal was served November 22nd and the Christmas meal is scheduled for December 15th. These two special meals will be analyzed for costs and a determination will be made as to whether or not to continue these two menus for the 2011-2012 school year.

Rumor - I've been hearing that the budget for transportation is over the limit. Is this true? (posted 10/04/11)

Truth - No. There is no transportation limit to speak of. The district budgets for transportation on a yearly basis. During the year we experience increases/decreases in fuel and for the past four years we experienced mid-year budget reductions that affect the bottom line for which we have to adjust all budgets including transportation. Transportation reimbursement is established by the Department of Education. This reimbursement is not designed to totally pay for district transportation, but to help defray the cost of it. Over the past four years, the amount the district pays over state reimbursement is as follows.

07-08 $155,000 – Base State Aid $4,374
08-09 $104,000 - Base State Aid $4,218
09-10 $159,000 - Base State Aid $4,012
10-11 $155,000 - Base State Aid $3,780

The real effect on the transportation budget has been with the changes in base state aid, which affects all aspects of the budget, including transportation. The base state aid has been reduced from a high of $4,374 per student in 07-08 to a current $3,780 per student for the 2011-2012 school year. Over the past five years, the district budget has been reduced 1.3 million dollars.

Rumor - I've also heard that a lot of funds for the extra transportation since the consolidation 3 years ago is funded by the government. Is this true? And if so, isn't that money still coming out of our pockets in a round about way?

Truth - The cost of transportation did go up in the district due to reorganization, along with the reimbursement the district receives due to transporting more students. As you can see, the actual cost to the district in 10-11was the same as it was in 07-08. What reorganization did do for the district is allowed the district to reduce around 20 employees over the time reorganization has been instituted to address the $1.3 million in decreased revenue.

As far as money out of the pockets of patrons of Santa Fe Trail, the patrons of Santa Fe Trail pay the state required 20 mills to finance the General Fund of the school district. These 20 mills are assessed to all patrons of school districts across the state. Some school districts generate more, some less depending on their assessed valuation of their school district.

The state required 20 mills generate around $900,000 toward an estimated $7,489,000 General Fund Budget for 11-12. The difference, $6,589,000 comes to the district in state aid, which is paid by the wealthiest school districts and those districts that have a much higher assessed valuation than Santa Fe Trail. These places would include Burlington, St. Marys, Holcomb, Johnson County, and Auburn-Washburn.

Truth - The possible death of the Scranton Attendance Center (SAC) is at best premature. Rooms in the Overbrook Attendance Center (OAC) are being cleaned due to the clutter that has gathered in them.

If SAC were closed, the district would need to come up with an additional three classrooms at OAC and about the same number of rooms at the Carbondale Attendance Center (CAC). To create the additional space required, if SAC were closed, the district would need to reduce a staff member per grade level and increase class size. The class sizes in a configuration using 3 teachers per grade level would range from 23-27 students per class in grades K-6. This type of class size is not an option the district is looking at at this time. The number of students and lack of adequate space do not make this situation conducive to student learning.

Closing a facility, is not a never say never issue. To keep a building open for the sake of just keeping it open is not in the best interest of the school district, nor the taxpayers of the school district. Should enrollment numbers stay in the mid 70’s to 80’s like they currently are there is a need to maintain all district facilities.

Truth - The board of education approved a resolution at its November 10, 2010 board meeting.  This resolution is the renewal of the Capital Outlay Resolution currently in place, which expires at the end of the school year.  The board approved the resolution in the same form as it was in the past, to last 5 years (legal max) and not to exceed 4 mills.  The legal maximum levy the board could have approved would have been 8 mills as established by law.  The board did not want to approve an 8 mill levy and decided to stay with the same levy limit it has had for at least the last 5 years.

Currently the district levies 2.999 mills, which generates approximately $135,462 per year that can only be used for capital improvements.  Capital improvements encompass building repairs and maintenance and other large item purchases.  In the past this fund has been used to help remodel/upgrade the high school science labs and library, replace heating and air units, reroof buildings and other items of the same nature.

As with any kind of tax the taxing agency must be accountable for funds it receives.  As many of you can attest, the SFT Board of Education is very accountable of this financial resource in its use of keeping buildings maintained and making improvements as they are needed.