Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget And Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Beloit board approves pay increases, Fund 80 community uses and a 0.5 FTE
Summary
Trustees approved a roughly 2.95% total pay package for non‑BEA and BSU employee groups, a 2.9% increase for substitutes, adopted additions to Fund 80 (including Even Start continuation and $150,000 for community uses), and approved a 0.5 FTE Title I academic interventionist for Converse Elementary. All motions at the Oct. 7 meeting carried unanimously except the superintendent resignation vote.
At its Oct. 7 meeting, the School District of Beloit Board approved a slate of budget and staffing items the administration said are needed to deliver services while managing enrollment declines.
Compensation votes: The board approved a total 2.95% increase for returning employees in non‑BEA (teacher) employee groups — structured as a 2.13% advancement (one row) plus a 0.81% scale increase — and applied the same total increase to employees represented by the Beloit Secretaries Union (BSU). New staff beginning in 2025–26 will receive only the 0.81% scale increase. The board also approved a 2.9% increase for daily and permanent substitutes. Mrs. Amy Levy noted the funds for one motion would come from OPEB resources.
Fund 80 (community services): Director of finance Stephanie Elwood briefed the board on Fund 80 (community services) history and constraints, noting a Fund 80 balance of about $757,000 and explaining that levy dollars earmarked for Fund 80 can only be spent on board‑approved community uses. The board approved adding a set of items to Fund 80 — including continuation of the Even Start program and expanded community access to facilities such as pools, gyms and fields — and approved a proposed $150,000 allocation for community use in 2025–26. Trustees asked questions about prior balances, past expenditures (including a one‑time COVID adjustment) and partnerships such as the Blender Café; administrators said prior year spending and levy timing explained the balance.
0.5 FTE addition: The board approved adding a 0.5 FTE to make Converse Elementary’s academic interventionist a full position; administration said the position is Title I grant funded and will not increase general fund operating costs. Board members asked whether enrollment shifts or attrition could cover the need; administrators explained the need for licensed interventionists and that the funding estimate indicates Title I support should cover the request.
Other business: The board approved travel registrations for the WASB Education Convention (Jan. 21–23, 2026) and the fall legislative conference (Nov. 8, 2025). Business Ops & Finance and Policy & HR committee reports were received; the consent agenda (with items D and E pulled) was approved.
What to watch: Oct. 28 budget adoption conversations may refine estimates as charter and private‑school voucher counts are finalized. Trustees asked administration to provide more context on how Fund 80 balances accumulated and to provide documentation for proposed community partnerships before spending occurs.
