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Federal funds for WIN program released; board to discuss use of Fund 80 and fund balance in August
Summary
District staff told the board that previously withheld federal Title funds for the WIN program were released and that the board will consider using Fund 80 or general fund balance at the August meeting.
Federal Title funds that had been withheld for the district's WIN program were released, district staff told the Spartan Area School District Board, and the board will consider how to use Fund 80 and existing fund balance at its August meeting.
The release of the federal funds means "no action's gonna be needed on this one," the board chair said, then invited staff to explain next steps. Sam, a staff member, told the board that "the title 4 funds with the $100,000 that we received from the grant for Herman will be received." He added that WIN also receives ongoing support from Fund 80, "and we currently receive $610,000 a year from fund 80."
Why it matters: the board must decide whether to use Fund 80 balance for WIN or to rely on other budget sources. At a committee meeting staff and board members had discussed whether Fund 80 levy proceeds can be reallocated; district staff reported the state agency response that a Fund 80 levy is administratively a Fund 80 levy but that local voters and the community may have views on how levy proceeds are used.
At the meeting, Miss Hauser, a staff member, summarized the state agency's position: "From DPI, we are compliant if we use it for any purpose that we deem to be community service. From our standpoint, I would ask the board to consider, if the board feels comfortable making the decision how to use fund balance on their own or if they would like that to be a discussion item at the annual meeting, to get potential feedback from the annual meeting process about using, for instance, fund balance that was levied for open gyms to instead be used for WIN." She said the item will be added to the board's August agenda for fuller discussion.
Discussion vs. decision: staff presented options and legal interpretation; no formal board vote was taken on reallocating Fund 80 or fund balance during this meeting. The board chair and staff agreed to schedule the matter for an August agenda so the board and the public can consider next steps.
Context and next steps: staff noted federal release removes an immediate funding constraint, but the district will still need to decide whether to use Fund 80 balances, general fund balance, or other revenue sources to support WIN ongoing. The board will revisit the topic in August with an agenda item that will be publicly noticed.
