Numbers swirl at Monday’s meeting of Perry School Board

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Perry Community School District Superintendent Lynn Ubben (left) and Secretary/Business Manager Kent Bultman review the 2015-16 school audit at Monday's meeting of the Board of Education.

Perry Community School District Secretary and Business Manager Kent Bultman’s role at most meetings of the PCSD Board of Education is to answer questions from any of the five directors.

However, on occasion, Bultman is the key presenter, and that was the spot he occupied Monday, reviewing with the board both the 2015-2016 school audit report and the proposed budget for fiscal year 2018.

Bultman highlighted several areas of the audit and, perhaps anticipating some questions, explained several areas on the report, which ran to about 100 pages. The board later approved the report.

The PCSD budget for the next fiscal year is based on the 1.11 percent State Supplemental Aid. Iowa schools asked for a 4 percent increase, with Gov. Terry Branstad supporting a 2 percent increase, but the legislature passed only a 1.11 raise in spending.

A public hearing on the budget will be held at the regular April meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. April 10 in the Brady Library at the Perry High School.

Superintendent Lynn Ubben shared with the board her notes from a national conference she recently attended in New Orleans. The keynote speaker was from Iowa, with Ubben quipping that “it was odd to go all the way to New Orleans to hear a speaker from Iowa.”

Ubben shared her belief that school’s cannot “be run like a business” because there are far too many differences between what a business and a school district must deal with.

She also touched on the new changes to collective bargaining and other legislative issues.

A fiscal year 2018 budget guarantee resolution received the board’s approval. Also agreed to were administrator contracts and a contract for special services employees, with total increases of 2.43 percent for the former and 2.45 percent for the latter.

Rises in fees for officials and various services, as well as some equipment and supplies, have forced the Raccoon River Conference to increase admission fees. As a result, Perry will increase the cost of athletic passes. Beginning in August, student athletic passes will rise to $40 each, while adult passes will cost $100.

The roster for the Perry Education Association for the 2017-2018 school year was approved. The list includes Teacher Leadership and Compensation, extracurricular, extended contracts and a variety of letters of agreement.

An increase in rates to the insurance plan of 8.7 percent will be in effect for the next fiscal year, with the board approving the proposed changes.

Personnel hires, transfers and resignations were also given an affirmative vote by the board. Included in those actions was the hiring of Brad Snowgren as Perry High School Assistant Principal. He will replace Gary Czerniakowski, who is retiring at the end of the current school year.

A series of routine board policy revisions — mainly dealing with the changing of dates in the wording of various items — were also approved.

The full Board of Education of the Perry Community School District was present Monday in the Brady Library at the Perry High School for their monthly meeting. From left are Director Linda Andorf, Vice President Jim Lutmer, President Kyle Baxter, Superintendent Lynn Ubben, Secretary and Business Manager Kent Bultman, Director Marjean Gries and Director Kenia Alarcon.

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