The Seaside School District issued its nearly $21 million 2018-19 proposed budget Tuesday, April 18, with a focus on real-world skills for students.

In her budget message to the community, Sheila Roley, superintendent of the district, announced the addition of a full-time culinary arts and hospitality teacher.

According to Roley, the position was lost several years ago and is now included due to the funds provided by the Oregon Student Success Program, funded by state voters in 2016.

The program is being diversified to include instruction of skills to work in the hospitality industry as well as the food industry.

The district will also be funding the addition of a full-time elementary physical education teacher. Currently elementary school students receive only 30 minutes per week of physical education. The addition of the new teacher will double that, she said, moving the district closer to the state mandate of offering 30 minutes each day for students to promote student health.

The general fund increased by 3.8 percent from last year, leading to a total year-to-year budget increase of 1.8 percent.

The Seaside School District’s fixed tax rate is $4.4105 per $1,000 of assessed value for the general fund.

The general fund does not include taxpayer costs related to the $99.7 million bond levy approved by voters in 2016 for a new school campus in the Southeast Hills.

A local option levy of .52 per $1,000 and bond cost of about $1.36 bring the overall amount to $6.30 per $1,000 for taxpayers.

Salary costs of $10.2 million and associated payroll costs of nearly $7 million make the largest portion of the budget. Other costs include purchased services, supplies and material and capital outlay.

The district has also been experiencing high workers’ compensation claims. In four of the last five years, the district’s workers’ compensation carrier has paid out more per dollar than the premium amount with 51 claims totaling $396,315 in losses, said the district’s business manager, Justine Hill.

“The majority of our claims are related to slips, trips and falls. Several of our total incurred losses due to claims. … have been significant (i.e., surgeries, employee time lost),” Hill said in an email. “Our workers’ compensation carrier has been working with our safety committee and we are trying to figure out ways to improve safety.”

The budget committee’s next meeting is Tuesday, May 15, at 6 p.m. at 1801 S. Franklin in Seaside. That meeting is the target date for approval by the budget committee. A June 19 public hearing as approved by the budget committee will be held to enact resolutions to adopt the budget, make the appropriations and to declare the tax levy.