The Excelsior Springs Board of Education approved the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2019 at their June 25 regular meeting.
Superintendent Dan Hoehn presented the budget to the board. Missouri law mandates local school boards to pass budgets by June 30. For now, the approved school budget remains contingent upon what the tax rate and assessed value for the district will be. Once determined, revisions will be made to the budget, probably around October or November, Hoehn said.
A lot of work went into the budget, Hoehn said. Although some people may grow concerned when they see the district is tightening in some areas of the budget, Hoehn said such adjustments often results in better decisions made for the students.
“I think we are trying to reallocate and spend where we need to, to improve our learning,” Hoehn said, and budget changes and adjustments are made in order to do “more and better things in better areas for the kids.”
Salaries compared to local districts
The district’s biggest expenditure includes qualified and non-qualified salaries, which aligns with other districts, both in the percentage of the budget and costs. Salaries for beginning teachers remain comparable to other schools in the area, with teachers who begin with a bachelor’s degree earning $36,000. On the high end of the local scale, Lee’s Summit teachers earn $39,000. On the low end, Harrisonville teachers with bachelor’s degrees earn $34,200. Teachers with 15 years or more experience plus a master’s degree earn $39,050 in the Excelsior Springs School District, compared with a local high of over $58,000 in the North Kansas City School District. The discrepancy between salaries at this level remains one the district would like to address, Hoehn said.
‘Good steward of tax payer’s money’
Out of expenditures, Hoehn said the school’s debt service amount remains of note, particularly when compared to other schools in the state. Excelsior Springs School District debt comprises 6.47 percent of the total expenditures. Schools across the state hold an average debt service of 12.6 percent.
“I think this is a great piece to show everyone the school district has been a very good steward of the taxpayer’s money,” said Hoehn.
A motion to approve the 2019 fiscal year budget was made by Board Member Darren McKown and seconded by Board Member Rick Strack. The motion carried unanimously.
