As July 1 approaches, the State of Kansas may be in a tough situation when it comes to filling its budget shortfall and funding public schools. Lew Faust, director of business services, didn’t mince any words at Wednesday night’s USD 383 board of education meeting when he updated board members on recent legislative conversations. Between delayed pension and fourth quarter extraordinary needs fund payments to Kansas school districts, USD 383 may be left pinching pennies in a few months time. There was much discussion on the funds that may be withheld in the coming months, along with some measures the state may put in place to possibly save money in the future. One of those measures being discussed would put all school districts in the state under the same health insurance plan and force school districts into buying materials from a list of common vendors. Faust said he expects the healthcare policy to become a debate later this spring.
In other business, board members heard on update on the mid-year enrollment numbers. As of Jan. 13, there were 6,022 students in the district which is up two from the September count. Board members also heard the annual report on bullying prevention.
