Seaside approves $140 million budget for schools
Published 6:09 am Monday, June 26, 2017
- Number at right represents combined funds in the Seaside School District budget.
SEASIDE — Budgets of more than $140 million are usually reserved for big city or suburban schools, not 1,000-student districts like Seaside’s.
Combined with general fund, debt service, special revenue and capital projects, the Seaside School District will be working with a grand total of $140.5 million.
“The budget amount is not a typo,” Superintendent Sheila Roley said at Tuesday’s meeting of the board of directors. “The bond proceeds are now in our budget.”
“I had to check my glasses,” board member Mark Truax said.
The outsized figures are the result of the passage of a $99.7 million bond by voters last fall for a new campus. Because the school district’s bonds sold at a high rate and with a matching grant from the state Department of Education, capital projects reached more than $112 million.
At $20.6 million, the district’s operating expense is a fraction of that.
Debt service of $4.4 million and special revenue of $2.6 million make up the rest of the financial summary.
The budget addresses rising student technology costs, with districtwide licenses for math and science software. A new science curriculum will be implemented in the fall to meet new science and technology standards. Staff hires and facilities upgrades are included.
This is the largest budget the school district is likely to see, as the number will soon be reduced as construction bills come in.
Business Manager Justine Hill anticipates paying out $22.5 million next year in building costs and fees.
The budget was unanimously endorsed by directors.
“The budget committee had met twice previously, and we worked through the details then, so this was really formalizing the recommendation,” Roley said after the meeting.