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Unit 5 School Board approves preliminary 2017 budget

The Carmi-White County School Board approved the preliminary FY17 budget amendment. It will be on display for thirty days until final action at the June 19th meeting. There may be revisions in the budget amendment prior to final adoption. At this point, the District has a positive in receipts vs. expenditures for the year of $1,647,602.

They also approved a yearly technology fee be assessed to students issued Chromebooks. Students in grades 6-8 will be able to utilize them in their classrooms, but would not be able to take them home. Students in grades 9-12 would be issued their own personal Chromebooks for use in school or home and keep them once they graduate. The yearly fee will be $25 for 6th to 8th graders and $50 for 9th to 12th graders, with the understanding they could keep their device upon graduation if they paid four years of fees.

A resolution passed authorizing the abatement of $175,000 from the working cash fund to the transportation fund to offset the lack of transportation funding from the state of Illinois for FY 17.

The Board accepted the low bid from Tri-County Roofing in the amount of $80,000 for the shingled roof replacement at Washington Attendance Center. Sales tax revenue will be used to pay for the project.

The school district received its two state aid payments last month totaling $398,211.

In the Superintendent’s report, Brad Lee said the uncertainty of no state budget makes it difficult as they work on next year’s District budget. They will continue to monitor their expenses closely and be diligent as they move forward.

Members of the Egyptian Trust voted last week to go to a tiered system for rate increases on employee health insurance. Unit Five will see a 20% increase beginning September first. The company looks at past data and tries to work with the members to try and reduce costs. Another meeting is scheduled for this Thursday.

The district received $1,252 from first bank to be used for students, as part of an agreement with unit five to be the provider of a First Bank debit MasterCard. In return, First Bank agreed to pay Unit Five one cent per swipe from qualifying transactions.

Committee appointments for the Board members were announced.

In other business, the lowest bids for copy paper, consumables, pest control and bread were approved.

Accepted were the retirement of Garry Shaw as bus driver effective May 22nd and the resignations of Ginger Mallette as Jefferson Attendance Center secretary and Chris Lucas as junior high assistant softball coach, both effective at end of this school year.

Changes to 17 Board policies were approved as were $1,025 in donations to Brownsville School.

The Board went into closed session at 7:25 pm.

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