Schools expect to add staff

Sisters schools may receive 16 percent more money for general operations next year (2006-07) than they did in the fiscal year that will end June 30. That was the projection Superintendent Ted Thonstad offered the school district budget committee Monday night at its first regular meeting to review the ’07 budget.

According to Thonstad’s figures, the district expects to receive some $10.6 million for its general fund next year, an increase of $1.47 million from the current year. In both calculations, projected revenues exclude beginning cash balances.

Although the superintendent did not offer a summary of general fund expenditures, the relatively rosy revenue picture gave him room to recommend several staff increases, including: 2.0 full-time-equivalent teachers at the middle school, partly to handle the planned shift of fifth graders to that school this fall and partly to reduce class sizes at the school; 1.5 FTE teachers at the high school to increase electives and class periods available to 11th and 12th graders; and a .5 FTE kindergarten teacher to deal with an expected increase in kindergarten enrollment.

At the administrative level, Thonstad also hopes to add a full-time facilities supervisor to ride herd on the several building maintenance and repair projects underway or scheduled for the next few years. A search for someone to fill this position is already in progress. The school board strongly urged Thonstad to create this job to relieve him of the drain on his own time and attention for this function.

The superintendent’s list also contains $60,000 to replace and upgrade computer equipment. A similar amount was allocated this year to replace servers.

Several other possibilities are on the superintendent’s list for consideration by the committee. They include another administrator who will round out a fairly extensive revision of the district’s administrative staffing plan.

Thonstad said his proposals were based on a number of assumptions that could change, including a projected 5.9 percent increase in enrollment — 2006-07 “average daily membership” of 1,385, an increase of 77 from the number projected when this year’s budget was adopted.

The recommended spending figures also contemplate an 8.8 percent increase in money from the local option levy.