Lamar Re-2 School Board Certifies Student Count, 2011 Mill Levies

Board members for the Lamar RE-2 School District reviewed various finances during their Monday night meeting, December 12.  Superintendent Dave Tecklenburg said the board certified the mill levy, as set by the state for Tax Year 2011, at 19.595, the same as 2010.  This year’s budget and the next year was also discussed in light of the October student count conducted every year.  Tecklenburg said the new budget has to be adopted by the board by June 30 and a revised budget is due by January 31 following any revisions.  “We have to project our revenues in June, although we don’t know until October what kind of funding we’ll receive based on the student enrollment,” he said. 

The numbers are almost even with last year, coming in at a full time equivalency of 1,576.9 for funding, even though the actual student count, pre-school through 12^th grade, is 1,667 students.  The Superintendent said it becomes complicated in that the pre-schoolers are only funded up to 51, and the district has over 100 enrolled.  By the same token, Kindergarten students are counted as 0.58% of a student.  There was a decline of only 2.5 students from the previous year in the current enrollment. 

Tecklenburg said that despite the unused Lincoln school trailers being advertised and put out for bid, there were no responses and the District will probably re-bid them in March.  The District is waiting word on whether a grant for improvements to the Lamar Middle School will be approved.  The City of Lamar engineer provided some designs which were used as part of the grant application.  The Superintendent said the playing field at the Middle School is either too wet at times, or just too hard packed and dry.  The board would like to see the field re-sodded or have new turf laid on, but grant funding will be needed.  He said the grant, if approved, would not be a direct funding, but would allow the district to be put in touch with those who make the grant. 

In other action, the board approved travel study requests for a FBLA State Officer meeting; FFA/NWSS Day Rodeo in December and a Bison Judging Contest in January, both in Denver; Gifted/Talented Trip to Colorado Springs Space Center and DECA to State Competition to Colorado Springs in February.  The board ratified the termination of Jesus Roman, Jr. as Special Education teacher aide at the Middle School; ratified hiring Mary Cochran as S.E. teacher aide at the High School; accepted the resignations of Curtis West as custodian and Rhonda Morrison as Parkview Music Teacher.  The board approved the transfer of Cindy Neuhold as Music Teacher to Parkview from Washington Elementary and approved the hiring of Melissa Miller as a teacher aide at MHDC.  The board has also adjusted the monthly meetings, to being one hour earlier starting next month, at 6:30pm.

By Russ Baldwin