Help with winter snow removal (yes, we said “snow”) is coming soon after the Stanley-Boyd School Board approved the purchase of a Toolcat with 3-cylinder diesel and engine in the middle for $58,459.20 at the Monday June 26 School Board meeting. Motion being made by Chad Verbeten and seconded by Bob Geist to approve the purchase.

 The new Toolcat, one of several approved including a Gravely lawnmover, was made as the current snow removal tractor was said to be high in hours and had hydraulic issues. It was also made known there was currently a high demand for year old vehicles. The new Toolcat would include a reverse broom to pull snow back from doorways, with a new machine next year while the district would keep attachments. The vote made to close out spending for the fiscal year just passed comes as the outlook for future funding is in flux, the state budget not yet settled and word out on high-cost transportation aid for next year.

As to the coming local tax levy, continued construction in the area is expected to potentially expand the equalized value tax base and thus potentially keep down individual taxpayer contribution, but much remains to be known on the state budget, which in turn affects local contributions needed.

As to the state aid side of things, current figures call to up individual student reimbursement from $10,000 per student at Stanley-Boyd to $11,000, a shift that could see an additional $1.18 million flow into the district finances. The move comes 30 years after per pupil reimbursement was capped at its current level of $10,000 per student, meaning additional funds not available before to the district. State aid is predicated on enrollment numbers, with these holding relatively steady as the districts finally says goodbye to a 2020 COVID year enrollment dip suffered by districts statewide next year, the dip part of its three-year enrollment average used to predict enrollment.

Private schools meanwhile were said to be increasing in the area, overlapping district boundaries for voucher purposes. The question was floated on whether to set money aside in the district’s general fund (Fund 10) for the future, which in turn could affect the aid amount to the district. The state was to send a general aid estimate July 1 for next year’s district budget, with the decision put off until next month on Fund 10.

“So, we can make this decision next board meeting?” Verbeten asked. “Then let’s make it next board meeting.”

In other school news, work on the north side bus loop has begun, starting on June 12, while the board also renewed its insurance contract through Forward, motion made by Denise Hoffstatter seconded by Verbeten.  Elementary Principal Dean Lew stopped by to give the summer installment of his twice a year Achievement Gap Reduction (AGR) Review as mandated in chapter 118.44(4) of state statute, the district scoring in the nineties for the latter half (benchmark improvement check) of the beginning and end of year assessments.

Last but not least for the present, the board bumped up bus wages slightly for a.m. and p.m. routes only, as well as defining “retirement” for handbook purposes as at least 55 years and 10 years with the district. Check back next week for more school district news!