JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown School Board will begin fine-tuning next year’s school budget when it holds a special budget work session Wednesday at the school administration building on Martin Road.
Last week board members got their first look at the tentative $77.6 million spending plan, which includes the elimination of 16 positions and also a 1.5 percent tax increase.
After learning about the budget, some school board members offered their initial thoughts, saying they’d like to preserve the fund balance at a higher level and also questioned the use of $300,000 in professional development, while at the same time the district was looking at cutting 16 positions.
The board plans to continue discussing those items and others tonight and consider possible changes, although Superintendent Tim Mains said that he’s already considered much of the boards wishes in crafting the initial budget, so he’s hopeful it doesn’t see too much of an overhaul.
“I would hope that we don’t go through the process this year that we went through last year, which was a different process,” Mains explained to WRFA following the April 7 board meeting. “Last year we put a budget on the table and then we talked about it for almost a month, and then the board made their changes at that point. I tried to accommodate all of the concerns that I thought I heard and I would hope that they would respect that I’ve done that. It would be my hope that I’m able to answer the concerns that they have [during the upcoming work session] and they’re will to adopt this as it’s presented.”
Tonight’ work session begins at 5:30 p.m. at the school administration building on Martin Road and is open to the public. The board is not expected to act on a final budget until next week. It has until April 26 to approve a spending plan and put it before the public for a vote.
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