Frankford Township school board previews 4.03% levy increase, flags bus losses and TCU demolition; approves consent and budget consents

The Frankford Township Consolidated School District board reviewed a preliminary budget that would raise the local tax levy 4.03% and outlined cost pressures that administrators said compel the increase.

During the March 17 meeting, a staff presenter (speaker 2) and the Superintendent/Principal (speaker 4) told board members that major fixed costs — salaries, transportation contract renewals, medical and dental benefits, property insurance and energy — account for roughly 86% of the district's general fund and are driving the need for the levy increase. The presenters cited offsets including $193,000 in tuition from other districts and a hoped-for $25,000 shared-services credit, but said a state cap on increases limited some reimbursements.

Why it matters: Board members said preserving instructional programs and avoiding staff cuts guided the budget planning. Administrators said they were trying to use one-time reserves and shared services where possible, and would continue reviewing line items before the public hearing and the April approval schedule.

What administrators presented

- Levy and household figures: The presenters said the proposed levy increase is 4.03%. They read average household impacts for two local areas as $212.72 and $128.31, but did not specify the tax basis for those figures in the meeting record.

- Fixed-cost increases: The presentation listed recent and projected cost increases: salary changes that averaged ~2.7% after breakage, transportation renewals near 3.57%, local medical insurance increases of about 9.66% (the state plan was reported at 14%), dental at about 10%, property insurance near 15%, and energy at roughly 15%.

- Offsets and reserves: The district expects $193,000 in tuition revenue from other districts and hoped to realize about $25,000 from shared curriculum services. Administrators also proposed withdrawing $34,000 from the capital reserve to demolish a modular TCU building that an architect's review found uneconomical to repair.

- Federal grant uncertainty: Meeting speakers noted uncertainty about next year's federal education grants (Title I/II/III, IDEA) and said those totals are usually confirmed by June or July; they described planning conservatively in case grant levels fall.

Transportation and equipment

Administrators reported two district-owned buses have reached end of life and will be offered at auction (estimates conveyed in the meeting were about $10,000 per bus). To limit cost volatility for extracurricular travel, the district plans to solicit bids for two additional contracted routes and issue a second bid for activity transportation to establish fixed rates for events.

TCU demolition and facilities

The board was told an architect and engineers recommended demolition of the TCU (temporary classroom unit) rather than repair. Board members discussed options for relocating affected staff, buying or leasing a modular replacement, or acquiring an already-built unit; no final procurement decision was made at the meeting.

Board action and next steps

The board approved the consent agenda and the budget consent as read. Staff gave detailed budget figures during the meeting: general fund expenditures were read in the record as $11,921,006.74 with other budget-line figures read aloud (the transcript contains fragmented numeric lines); the staff member recorded "taxes to be raised" and a total taxes figure including debt service of $10,712,390. The district plans a public hearing and expects county review before final approval in April; speakers warned that July grant decisions could still force future adjustments.

Quotations (selected)

"A lot of schools were in, you know, similar situations...we were actually owed $60,000 more, but they came up with the formula of, 'oh, you can't get more than 6%...'" said the Superintendent/Principal (speaker 4).

"We have two buses that are reaching end of life. We're going to list them at auction; my guess is we'll probably get about $10,000 or less each," said the staff member who presented transportation details (speaker 2).

What the board did next

The board set the public hearing timeline and will review the budget again at the April meeting; staff will pursue bids for contracted transportation, begin the demolition procurement steps for the TCU, and continue monitoring federal grant allocations.

Ending

Board members closed public comment with no members of the public speaking and adjourned the meeting after routine announcements and assignment of duties for upcoming school events.