The South Central School Board has voted to submit a state maintenance grant to help pay for the reroofing of the Middle School.
Superintendent Sara Rose says the state is guaranteeing the $50,000 matching grants each school district in the state this year. The district will have to provide at least a $50,000 match, but it will be much higher than that. The board approved a contract with Martin Roofing to do the work at its last meeting at a cost of $265,919.
Rose says due to problems with the roof the project will begin shortly so it can be completed before winter weather sets in.
The board heard its annual audit report. Megan Urchen reported there were no issues or findings. The district’s financial condition remained mostly the same as the prior year. The district’s financial score was the same as last year, with the 3.55 score on the 4.0 scale keeping the district in the financial recognition category. The average cost to educate a student is $16,965 a year.
The board heard a report from Kendall King of King Financial on options to bond for additional working cash bonds. The district could pay the interest on the bonds themselves to keep costs down. The board was told even with past bonds being issued, the district’s tax rate has come down nearly 50-cents per $100 assessed valuation during the past few years to $4.04 last year. A further reduction could occur on next year’s tax bills even with the issuing of new bonds. The board is expected to make a decision on future working cash bonds at the November meeting.
