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Beech Grove board accepts $35,191 Early Literacy grant, reviews finances and notes funding-floor gap
Summary
Superintendent Laura Hammock told the board that Beech Grove will receive $35,191.82 from the Indiana Department of Education's Early Literacy Achievement Grant, reported a funding-floor shortfall of about $64,000 and noted the district is not on the DOAB watch list.
At its January meeting, Beech Grove City Schools' administration presented grant and finance updates: the district will receive an Early Literacy Achievement Grant of $35,191.82, accepted by the board, and administrators described a funding-floor shortfall of roughly $64,000 that the district must publicly report under state rules.
Superintendent Laura Hammock explained the grant is a formula award based on iRead3 assessment data and asked the board to approve receipt and distribution of the $35,191.82 payment to educators. "This year Beech Grove will receive $35,191.82," Hammock said while asking the board to accept the allocation so it may be issued on the next payroll.
Hammock also discussed the state funding-floor requirement, which compares state tuition support to teacher expenditure levels. She said Beech Grove did not meet the funding-floor threshold for the prior year by about $64,000 and therefore must publicly report the shortfall. She framed the shortfall as driven by declining enrollment and the district’s need to shift dollars from the education fund to the operations fund to maintain services such as transportation, custodial contracts and technology.
Hammock told trustees the district has stabilized revenue and moved toward positive indicators: she said Beech Grove is not on the Distressed Unit (DOAB) watch list and the district’s reserve increased from an inherited ~6% to about 8.6%, with a 10% reserve target.
Operations staff reported a $6,803.20 donation from All4Lunch Incorporated to help offset outstanding student lunch debt and noted a low demolition bid of $11,500 for a hazardous barn on district property; the custodial contract is due to expire in July and the district will solicit bids in April.
The Board of Finance received the 2024 investment report and voted to accept it. The finance discussion emphasized the district’s ongoing fiscal management amid enrollment declines and the continued reliance on an operating referendum for essential services.
No policy changes were adopted during the meeting; the reported funding-floor shortfall must be posted as required by state rules and remains subject to reporting requirements and future budget decisions.
