[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6478387,"mediaKeyId","5709066-a51cb30e01d09403ce2c9b91cfc8adea","parentId",5709066,"title","District reports higher-than-expected investment earnings, pending reimbursements and benefit cost shifts in budget workshop","audioSeconds",1208,"startMs",116000,"endMs",1324000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5709066-a51cb30e01d09403ce2c9b91cfc8adea&start=116&end=1324","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5709066-a51cb30e01d09403ce2c9b91cfc8adea/thumbnail_116000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6478387/Arkansas/District-reports-higher-than-expected-investment-earnings-pending-reimbursements-and-benefit-cost-shifts-in-budget-workshop","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6478387-6cbf5a090fbacda4d7ad7b9578c77a9c/orig.mp4?Expires=1775095614&Signature=o4q5i0~1J2wDkRNE9aIa1OaRQbKq47XmOvj6jKh6gjQrbFDgntljdrUGsv-eMRVj4tzNUQzFVeSWcNU4~34dAcxRwwwHbtDlgQCUHbye1bj67nSAO8T200vrzHnGgbN49adHCDcduCb67Z0KVR9DmH2Hyh14lv1MhUajRHdI1kM2bVNtKIh9vZZ5506isw15KXbA~bIPb4FzrvI9aC0ISVW-kxGfUHbgZt10NBBk4L4X~cJxYzYK~3rBCrch72eHAT5iyRQljxWBIxJxRctTW6J~Yp~jGW9ByxxREJjtrorI3o6HnzdAkPgO3fr6ki31Y~~PjCEws2eSCFpcIOf9ag__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","SILOAM SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT","date","2025-09-03T19:59:41Z","article","Siloam Springs School District staff told the board the district’s fiscal picture included revenue swings and grant changes that affected how staff built the proposed 2025–26 budget.

Investment earnings and delinquent taxes: Staff said interest income on investments outperformed the budgeted amount significantly. The district budgeted about $114,000 for interest on investments but reported earning roughly $328,000. The superintendent also noted delinquent property taxes were unusually high (more than $2 million) and that late payments and associated interest helped close part of the prior-year revenue shortfall.

Pending reimbursements and grants: The superintendent said the district expects roughly $165,000 in reimbursement related to playground equipment purchases that had been delayed in federal/state processing; the superintendent cautioned no written commitment has been received yet. Other grants discussed included a school safety grant (about $182,572 to spend by the end of the month) and a school-based health center grant that funded additional mental-health staff. District staff also discussed federal forest-reserve payments the district receives (small amounts tied to acreage in the district) and previous ESSER funding used for earlier bonuses.

Broadband rental and other revenue: The district receives broadband rental revenue (noted as about $35,000 on the front page of the materials) and discussed a court ruling that might increase that amount but with no confirmed figure yet.

Special education, Medicaid and merit pay: The superintendent described the early-childhood Medicaid match and catastrophe special-education reimbursements as largely pass-through or variable funds, and reminded the board that the merit teacher incentive and other state-directed programs are pass-through funding or fixed allocations that may not change until the state announces amounts.

Benefit-cost legislative change: Staff told the board a legislative change effective Jan. 1 will require districts to change how the state pays a portion of employee health insurance premiums. For the current partial-year period, the district expects to increase its monthly contribution per insured employee from about $234.50 to $350 for the remainder of the year, after which the state intends to change the funding mechanism so the state pays the premium portion directly.

Concurrent credit and tuition costs: The district also budgeted a new line item for concurrent credit tuition costs required by state law; staff called the number an estimate this first year and said they are pursuing alternative university vendors to reduce net costs to the district.

What happens next: Business staff will finalize the budget, list pending reimbursements as contingent, and return to the board with a formal budget resolution and any necessary accounting documentation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","BOE Work Session 2025.09.02","oneSentenceSummary","Superintendent and finance staff told the board the district earned far more interest on invested funds than budgeted, expects several grant reimbursements, receives broadband rental payments and must plan for a January legislative change raising the district’s per-employee premium contribution.","taxTitle","SILOAM SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT, School Districts, Arkansas","taxId",55552,"location","Arkansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6478391,"Board workshop highlights capital priorities: stadium lighting, high school sealing, buses, band instruments and security cameras",1474,2893000,4367000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5709066-a51cb30e01d09403ce2c9b91cfc8adea&start=2893&end=4367","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5709066-a51cb30e01d09403ce2c9b91cfc8adea/thumbnail_2893000.jpg","/articles/6478391/Arkansas/Board-workshop-highlights-capital-priorities-stadium-lighting-high-school-sealing-buses-band-instruments-and-security-cameras","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6478391-ea1f025ef50527985eb1e95847fc47ac/orig.mp4?Expires=1775095614&Signature=c7vTi8nOpBefCn7NXq0feEZzZBTb0qppRDj8lRm5AVIlLL24FRbuul4iAcj8M4VvdBoMxfpY1k~ZhV3e4HfLKlP1ZjD7~Yv0JxaN3KMUNQj4QHXuviKADOnoL651my3Q4ge4MJSaBiSceSvEQDgOeN1F-DjFCECt8H-Pg629Dvi9K5IMMNiDJEptB8hPVUsXXN9ETsKyuCWW87Whwi5DX~GQ14E-15Yy2zBZZxGbOuogOeuPm7lOv9s9pAonqVzOb1SsIHSPbpABlQubbQaUdxWuLyAs6udggdSoJg5RL5kd02a-j7CUp~Pmswu5FwjiTA1QLFOvBaGx8Q8wZSjKqg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Siloam Springs school leaders used the budget workshop to review capital needs and prioritize spending from the building fund and upcoming budgets.

Stadium lighting and athletic facilities: District staff told the board a full replacement of the stadium lighting system could cost roughly $400,000 based on recent vendor figures; staff reminded the board that a similar replacement three years earlier had been estimated at about $150,000. District facilities staff recommended phasing major exterior work and some lighting work over time if the board prefers to spread cost. Superintendent Terry and facilities staff noted a temporary direct-wired bypass could let the district operate lights for the remainder of the season, but the board discussed the trade-offs and the need for a formal bid if they proceed.

High school exterior/waterproofing: Facilities staff reported the high school brick exterior requires periodic resealing on roughly a 10-year cycle; a single-vendor estimate to reseal the entire exterior exceeded $1 million. The district proposed splitting the work into thirds over three years to reduce the single-year cost.

Vehicles and heavy equipment: The proposed vehicle purchases include two school buses, a maintenance truck (replacement for an aging vehicle), additional staff transport vehicles, and a new enclosed trailer for the district’s semi to avoid frequent breakdowns and instrument damage. District staff said the trailer estimate is in the mid-six-figure range (roughly $150,000–$155,000) before any trade-in credit.

Band instruments and cameras: The district budgeted money to establish an instrument replacement rotation so the band program can replace large, school-owned instruments (tubas, percussion, xylophones) that are expensive to buy individually. District staff reported paying for roughly $200,000 in new bus cameras and a newer upload-capable system that uploads when buses arrive, which staff said improved daily reliability.

Funding approach: Board members and staff agreed the building fund is the primary funding source for large capital projects and that some projects should be designated in the fund plan but can be adjusted later. The board prioritized dedicating undesignated building fund dollars toward an eventual new elementary school while keeping smaller pools available for urgent items like lighting if needed.

What happens next: District staff said they will break the projects into discrete bids and bring refined cost estimates and recommended sequencing to the board for formal approval.","District leadership discussed several capital projects, including a possible $400,000 stadium lighting replacement, resealing the high school exterior in three phases, vehicle purchases, band instrument replacement rotation and a new bus/cargo trailer.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6478396,"Siloam Springs board backs $750 employee bonus, directs remaining unallocated funds to building fund",6386,37000,6423000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5709066-a51cb30e01d09403ce2c9b91cfc8adea&start=37&end=6423","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5709066-a51cb30e01d09403ce2c9b91cfc8adea/thumbnail_37000.jpg","/articles/6478396/Arkansas/Siloam-Springs-board-backs-750-employee-bonus-directs-remaining-unallocated-funds-to-building-fund","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6478396-d6083a5089ff09de1b79ac526d988f7a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775095614&Signature=bRPhxhCVr1KAfmzR1mSk9rYKPsQrLviyqNdamvJU8Jx0ld1hyU6cfSt94Z7pu~vt571ZQR~lSdnxul3PKoApM4PO1IsbZ86IhK4mvRXfE6JFrrFyXjfcxCo21JDgGtZNMOwJk6sC49clvAckIclBt-nTtTBJH6Rjffw7eBpWQvmxEtCXSmw81khAD66E4vFs4CqDuTxIFbzroacpcWu8~SHBdmBnk3F9P0pJ1pRIwk3ouQpvF0WlCa0eiIUwFMnhrRTqQpInvAiCBbDhYt4CZ4t1pwsx5HLEwzYgXhsrQKVR6-xMcn2VOAgHs4J6Pz-4othJ6avf-ZeDiXcQ9rB~wg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Siloam Springs School District Board of Education at a budget workshop agreed to a $750 one-time bonus for employees and to deposit remaining unallocated operating funds into the district’s building fund as part of finalizing the 2025–26 budget.

The board’s discussion centered on balancing employee compensation and long-term facility needs after staff and district leadership reviewed the prior year’s finances and the proposed budget for 2025–26. Superintendent Terry said any money not already dedicated should be reserved “towards the new elementary school.”

Why it matters: Board members said they want to show voters and district staff that the district has been fiscally conservative while preparing for large facilities projects — including a future elementary school and planned improvements at existing schools — and to preserve options for those projects without shortchanging employee pay. Board members and district staff repeatedly framed the decision as balancing short-term compensation boosts against multi-year capital needs.

Key numbers and decisions
- The district reported it expects to finish the year with roughly $9.5 million in operating carryover (rough projection discussed at the workshop) and a building fund balance of about $4 million. At the workshop the board identified roughly $2.3 million of that operating money as “not allocated.”
- The board settled on a $750 one-time bonus for all employees; district staff told the board that amount would total approximately $607,000 across the payroll roster as currently budgeted. The board indicated the common practice will remain that employees on the payroll the day the board votes receive the bonus.
- The board directed that unallocated dollars after the bonus be moved into the building fund and recommended investing short-term balances to earn interest until the money is needed for construction work.

Budget context and revenue considerations
District leaders said revenue and expense swings helped create the current flexibility. The superintendent and business staff noted that interest income from certificates of deposit and other short-term investments outperformed budget expectations, and delinquent tax payments returned later than usual but ultimately improved collections. The superintendent also described pending reimbursements the district expects to receive but has not yet received in writing.

What board members said
Shane (board member) urged prioritizing the building fund to show voters the district has planned for facility needs. Several board members said they supported both a meaningful, immediate bonus and continued savings for a new elementary school. The superintendent said the district can continue to invest idle funds in short-term Treasury instruments to increase earnings until money is needed for construction.

What’s next
Terry will finalize the numbers, add any remaining open positions to the payroll calculation, and present the formal budget and the investment recommendation to the board for approval at the September board meeting. If the board approves the investment plan, the district will return with a vote to execute any short-term Treasury or similar investment.","At a budget workshop, the Siloam Springs School District’s leadership agreed to a $750 one-time bonus for employees and to push remaining unallocated operating balance toward the building fund and future capital projects, including a planned elementary school.","actionData","errors"]

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District reports higher-than-expected investment earnings, pending reimbursements and benefit cost shifts in budget workshop

Board workshop highlights capital priorities: stadium lighting, high school sealing, buses, band instruments and security cameras

Siloam Springs board backs $750 employee bonus, directs remaining unallocated funds to building fund