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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
December 27, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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December 27, 2012
 
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wor uil ance By NATALIE JOHNSON In an effort to rebuild a dwindling reserve fund, the Shelton School District plans to freeze $300,000 in spending across three de- partments before the end of the 2012-2013 school year. "We need to do what we can to build it back up - that is fiscal responsibil- ity to the voters," Shelton School Board member Sue McCausland said. "I don't like that feeling of being so close to the edge." While the school board pre- fers to have an ending fund bal- ance of 5 Sue percent of McCausland the year's budget in its re- serves, the ending fund bal- ance from the 2011-2012 budget amounted to 2.52 percent of that year's bud- get. The school district's 2012- 2013 budget amounts to $42.8 million. That means the district hopes to have about $2 million in its end- ing fund. That $300,000 freeze will be divided evenly among Journal photo by Natalie Johnson The Shelton School District plans to freeze 8300,000 of spending across three departments before the end of the 2012-2013 school year in order to help increase the districts ending fund balance. The fund balance, used as reserves, has been decreased recently by projects such as replacing the roof of Evergreen Elementary school, pictured above. three departments -- main- tenance, technology and curriculum. The school board ap- proves the district budget each August, for a bud- get term from September through the following Au- gust. Because this year's budget is set, the reduction in expenditures is a spend- ing "freeze" rather than a budget cut, school district director of finance Brenda Trogstad said. Each department head will determine how best to save the money, Trogstad said. "It's their call," she said. Much of the budget, in- cluding salaries for employ- ees, can't be cut because it is determined by union con- tracts, Trogstad said. "About 85 percent of our budget is salaries and ben- efits," she said. A few unforeseen expens- es significantly decreased the district's reserves, Mc- Causland said. For example, in summer 2012, the district had to replace Evergreen Elemen- tary School's roof. "It needed to be done," she said. Also, in September 2011, an arsonist burned down a baseball clubhouse at Shel- ton High School that several students were building as part of their senior project. While insurance paid for most of the work to re- place the clubhouse, the school district had to use some of its fund balance to finish the project, Mc- Causland said. While not all school dis- tricts keep their ending fund balances at exactly 5 per- cent of their annual budget, McCausland said they all need to have enough money in reserves to cover emer- gencies, or to make payroll for at least a month. "Some districts have more than that, and some may have a little less," she said. "It depends on the dis- trict." Mason Matters receives $ grant for 'World of Work' Funds to prepare teens for work force STAFF REPORT pr@~a,