Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Rockwood School District's chief financial and legislative affairs officer presented a "where we head now" update at Thursday's Board of Education meeting. Some of the district's HVAC units are older, high-risk units.
With the failure of the $38.4 million no-tax rate increase Proposition S on April 2, many Rockwood School District taxpayers and parents were wondering what to envision for the district's financial future. Rockwood's chief financial and legislative affairs officer Tim Rooney presented a financial overview to the Board of Education directors at Thursday evening's board meeting at Crestview Middle School in Ellisville. Rooney said the budget target, as originally presented Dec. 6, 2012, was $10.9 million. The projected deficit was to be $5.1 million. He said an additional $1 million was needed for maintenance, increasing the capital budget to $2 million. The budget for technology had been $2.5 million, particularly given the estimated needs …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
VIDEOS: Rockwood voters on Tuesday decided the fate of Proposition S, a $38.4 million no-tax rate increase bond issue, after several months of many public debates about its timing, focus and amount.
A four-sevenths, or 57.14 percent, majority was necessary for passage of Proposition S on April 2 among voters in the Rockwood School District. Prop S was offered as a $38.4 million no-tax rate increase bond initiative that focused on safety, technology and school improvements. The proposition was not passed by voters in Tuesday's election, by a 52.98 percent (9,256 votes) against or NO versus 47.02 percent (8,214 votes) for or YES. That's a difference of 1,042 votes. Rhonda Costa, chair of the "Yes on Prop S" committee, said committee members were most surprised at the degree of negativity that kept boomeranging back. "Every time we tried to move forward, the conversations and focus seemed to drag us back. How can we focus on what our …
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
A list of 20 budgetary items were presented at the Rockwood School District Board of Education meeting Thursday evening. Some were taken off the list by Rockwood Superintendent Bruce Borchers. Reserves now will be tapped.
Seventh on the list of 20 proposed budgetary cuts for fiscal school year 2013-2014 at Rockwood School District's Board of Education meeting Thursday was: "Freeze funds for library book purchases." An estimated crowd of 200 booked it to the meeting to participate in this budget discussion, including two of Rockwood's librarians—who spoke against withdrawing financial support to the district's libraries. Melissa Twombly, librarian at Lafayette High School in Wildwood, explained to Rockwood's school board members it took a decade of struggling for the district's librarians to meet current needs. She said many schools were lucky to have parent-teacher organizations that assisted with goals, but that it led to inconsistency and lack of equity …
Friday, February 18, 2011
The district's board of education could seek a tax hike that would offset a revenue shortage of $8 to $16 million in the 2012-13 school year.
Rockwood School District voters could be asked for a tax increase of anywhere from 32 cents to 62 cents to head off an expected $8 to $16 million deficit in the 2012-13 fiscal year. The district forecasts revenues of $202.7 million against expenses of $211.1 million for the 2012-13 fiscal year, but state funding cuts and the continuing economic downturn could boost that number. District officials presented the forecasts at a Feb. 16 Stakeholder Input Meeting at Rockwood Summit High School, in Fenton. The meeting was part of the district’s Guiding Change Fiscal Year 2013 Sustainable Budget Process. The process is designed to gain input from district taxpayers to help develop a financial plan for the coming fiscal years. Another contributing…
Friday, December 24, 2010
More explicit details regarding budget reductions for Rockwood School District's 2011-12 fiscal year were announced this week, including using funds from the reserve budget. A tax rate increase is being considered.
Wage freezes and staff cuts were outlined by the Rockwood School District as it detailed the steps needed to balance the 2011-12 budget. The district also will dip into its reserve fund to offset some expenses. At a meeting Thursday, the Rockwood school board gave the district's administration guidance by calling for action in three major areas: The term "points" used by district managers is defined by each staffing point equalling the value of the salary and benefits of an average, full-time, certificated employee, which totals $60,000, said Gina Tarte, Rockwood School District marketing and media relations specialist. "These are difficult economic times, and our schools are feeling the effects," said Rockwood Superintendent Bruce …
KM Kramer
10:47 am on Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Hay! They got an "A" for filling the forms out right! Running a large business, such as RSD is, takes more than filing "accurate financial reports". Times are tough, and the lack of oversight of the previous Board in seeing that $1.8 million in over payments weren't made, in hiring an under qualified Superintendent and paying his buddies to help him learn how to do his job are not soon forgotten… more ›