Unit 40 Board Discusses Budget, Acts on Personnel Matters

Effingham Unit 40 board members Monday approved a tentative budget for the new fiscal year calling for slightly more in expenditures than in revenues.

The tentative blueprint estimates expenditures at $28,752,853 as opposed to estimated revenues of $28,695,717, about $57,000 more in outgo than income.

One reason for the imbalance is a $373,000 reduction in general state aid due to an increase in the equalized assessed value of property in the school district and a reduction in student enrollment.

Assistant Superintendent Rem Woodruff said an estimated $941,000 drop is expected in Education Fund expenditures, though, chiefly due to a $400,000 reduction in salaries realized by the closing of Edgewood School and a $300,000 drop in Title I funding since a payment was received in a different year than was scheduled.

The Board also filled several staffing positions on what was the first day of the school year.

Whitney Duncan, Melissa Armstrong, Julie Hodges and Angela Spillman were hired as paraprofessionals, Kali Carroll was hired as a junior high Special Education teacher, Anna McClellan was hired as a junior high English teacher, and Jim Jones and Kelly Stortzum were hired to teach high school Industrial Arts with Jones working the first semester and Stortzum the second semester. Jeni Phillips was hired as a junior high Literary Instructor, and Morgan Engel was hired as a Kindergarten teacher. Engel was needed to teach a 10th section of Kindergarten as enrollment at that grade has swollen to 224, much higher than was expected. David Dust was hired as breakfast and lunch cafeteria monitor at the Early Learning Center, and Linda Wielgus was hired as a cafeteria monitor at Central School.

The Board formally accepted Mike McDonald's resignation as varsity football coach following the coming season as had been announced earlier, and also accepted resignations from Debbie Sciaroni as a cook, Renee Kihne as a paraprofessional, Valerie DeWeese as a cafeteria monitor at the Early Learning Center, and Kathryn Koester as assistant girls and boys track coach. Nola Schultz and Sarah Wyckoff were granted leaves under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

The Board Monday also approved Sid Kibler as a member of the Effingham Unit 40 Foundation Board.

Board members Todd Schaefer and Laurie King were not present for Monday's meeting.