School Should End Year With $1.2 Million
Superintendent Dr. Deborah Moran
By Jack Gurner
Reporter
WATER VALLEY – The school district is projected to have a fund balance of about $1.2 million dollars as of June 30 of this year.
That’s well above the seven percent mandated by the state, District Business Manager Randy Goodwin told Trustees at their meeting Monday night. The Department of Education requires a school district to end the fiscal year with a minimum of seven percent of the total budget in reserve.
The million-plus figure is a “guesstimation,” according to Goodwin, but added that it is going to be pretty accurate. Goodwin said he based his calculations on 2010 figures that are running about the same as this year’s.
The business manager also said that trustees now had on the table the district’s audit report for the 2009 fiscal year. He added that the auditor wasn’t available for an in-person audit exit interview, but could be available for a telephone conference with the board.
Trustees have since added language to their audit contracts requiring an in-person conference with auditors after financial problems were discovered for the 2008 fiscal year. The district had a negative fund balance of over $200,000 that prompted state officials to appoint a financial advisor.
“The reason we got in trouble before was because we weren’t getting audits in person,” said Casey Wash-ington. “We didn’t have an individual coming before this board and stating our financial situation.”
The trustees agreed that the auditor should be asked to come before the Board on April 25 for an in-person interview.
In other actions at the Mar. 28 meeting:
• Granted approval to apply for a 21st Century Community Learning Cen-ters Program grant.
Before the vote Trustee Pierce Epes asked what the grant covered. According to Superintendent Dr. Deborah Moran, the grant is for technology and credit recovery for grades 7 through 12. She added that after the application is submitted the District will provide public availability and review of the application.
Dr. Moran added that the grant would provide $250,000 dollars a year for the first two years. It then goes down to 80 percent for the next two years and then down to 60 percent.
Epes asked if the district was responsible for matching any of the funds. “We have to be able to sustain,” Dr. Moran answered. “Some of the things we are going to do to sustain is to utilize our own personnel.”
She added that an educational technologist would be required for the program at around $50,000 per year.
“How long will we have to sustain that,” Epes asked.
Dr. Moran said there was no time limit. “We just have to develop a plan.”
• Approved the use of a school bus and driver for the Water Valley Housing Authority Summer Trans-portation Program.
The district receives reimbursement from the Housing Authority for the driver’s salary and $2 per mile for the bus, Goodwin told the board.
• Approved amending the District’s Qualified School Construction Bond.
• Disposed of a Dell computer from the central office.
• Paid claims.
• Heard the superintendent’s Report from Dr. Moran, who told the Board that the battle to fund education wasn’t over.
She invited members to join her on Tuesday for a press conference in the state capitol rotunda that was held by the Mississippi Association of School Superintendents. She said that the group would be asking lawmakers to provide at least level funding for schools.
Dr. Moran reported that average daily attendance at Davidson Elementary School for month six was 95.88 percent. That is up by 1.27 percent and only .62 percent away for the District’s goal. ADA is 92.05 percent at Water Valley High School, down by .05 percent, she added.
The complete text of her report is available on the district’s website at www.wvsd.k12.ms.us/ and below.
• Entered executive session to discuss several personnel issues.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Apr. 4. The session will be for budget planning, according to Dr. Moran, unless something else is added to the agenda.
March 28, 2011 School Board Report
by Superintendent Dr. Deborah Moran
The K-12 Funding Battle Isn’t Over! The K-12 funding bill has been referred to a conference committee that will negotiate the final outcome. The full House and Senate will then vote on the conference report. I received a text from Mr. Kuykendall, Superintendent of Tishomingo County Schools, on Saturday saying House Education Chairman Brown and Speaker McCoy is asking all superintendents to be at the capital in the rotunda Tuesday at 11 a.m. for a press conference. Today I received an email from MAASS: Call to Action!!!!!Urgent! Urgent! Urgent! Press Conference – Tuesday, March 29 11:00 a.m. in State Capitol Rotunda – 2nd Floor The Mississippi Association of School Superintendents will be holding a press conference in the State Capitol in Jackson on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. All Superintendents are strongly urged to be present for this press conference. We have not had to ask your attendance at a press conference in quite a while. However, due to the current status of funding for K – 12 education and mental health we need your presence and your support at this time. Please urge anyone in your community who supports this cause to also be present. We certainly do not want to take anyone away from the classroom setting but everyone else needs to be present. Please make every effort to be present and help us fill the Capitol on Tuesday. I am planning on attending this to show our support of public education and our need for funding.
The State Board of Education granted approval to begin the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) process for proposed revisions to the Mississippi Public School Accountability Standard, 2010. Accreditation requirements contained in process standard 23, Appendix A, Appendix C, and Appendix H of the Mississippi Public School Accountability Standards, 2010, are open to public comment. These changes will be effective for school year 2010-2011 upon completion of the APA process and final approval by the State Board of Education.
Month 6 Data has been verified in MSIS. Our ADA has improved once again. Davidson Elementary is 95.88%, up 1.27% and only .62% away from our goal, Water Valley High School is 92.05%, down .05%, which makes our District ADA 94.20% which is 2.3% below our goal. However, our estimated District ADA Average over the past 6 months is 96% which is only .5% away from our goal. We are still on track to reach our school and district goal of 96.5% at this time. Keep up the good work!
Discipline-Davidson Elementary has 600(83.1%) students out of 722 that have NO discipline referrals for the month. Water Valley High School has 403(72.75%) students out of 554 students that have NO discipline referrals. Our total enrollment dropped from 1281 to 1276. Davidson Elementary gained students and WVHS lost students. District enrollment has gone from 1295, 1274, 1285, 1281, 1270, to 1276. DBS started the year with 713 and now has 722. WVHA started with 582 and now has 554.
Our QSCB preliminary work is progressing. Mr, Mills and Pickering are doing the preliminary asbestos audit and walk through, so when the bids are posted, we and the bidders will have all pertinent info. I would like to thank David Floyd and Pierce Epes for taking time from Spring Break to assist in this process. Robert Campbell, Safe and Orderly Schools returned my call and said we are good to go with our request for changes in the order in which we expend our funds. He asked that we continue to keep them informed as we progress with our project. He reminded me that we have to use the bidding process we followed with ARRA – Part B. We advertise online for 10 days. He also said we have to follow Davis Bacon (payroll) and it needs to be in our specs. We received approval to amend from Mr. Campbell in writing this week.
Dr. Kitchens and Mr. Drewrey attended an Overview of Common Core Standards and Assessments. Dr. Burnham, Dr. Lynn House and Ken Thompson presented. Both principals have shared their enthusiasm and support for the changes that are on the horizon. The resources and information they received will be shared with faculty soon if not already. Mrs. Katie Naron attended a training that also discussed Common Core and how student growth will be tied into teacher assessment. She is another valuable resource to help Water Valley School District be prepared to meet the challenges as we move to Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
Our approved revised academic calendar has been sent to the Office of Accreditation along with a copy of our last board minutes documenting approval.
Leonard Sally with Viscom and Blue Mountain College came by Tuesday afternoon to discuss our participation in RUS Grant. “Matching funds” is not clearly defined at this time so more information will be shared later.
Our next scheduled Board Meeting is next Monday, April 4th to begin budget planning for 2011/12, we are scheduled to. attend MSB A Board Member Training in Winona on Saturday, April 16th, and our regular
scheduled meeting will be April 4th. (I will be attending MASA Conference on Monday, April 18th.)
