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Staff member presents Scobey K-12 draft budget; taxable value drop, bus replacements and a $16,000 CTE grant under discussion
Summary
A staff member reviewed Scobey K-12 Schools’ draft 2025–26 budget, saying taxable value fell about $500,000 and outlining transportation cash reserves, bus-depreciation plans and a permissive levy option to unlock roughly $90,000 in state aid; board members asked for follow-up on route justification and vehicle-replacement timing.
A staff member for Scobey K-12 Schools presented the district’s draft 2025–26 budget, telling board members that taxable value had dropped by about $500,000 and that the mill rate figures in the packet showed last year as “214” and a projected “205” for the coming year.
The presenter said the general fund is modestly higher while transportation funding has declined, noting the district currently holds about $65,000 in transportation cash and a five-year pattern of leftover balances ranging from $15,000 to $35,000. “We have $65,000 worth of cash in there right now,” the staff member said, adding that the district could reduce an overbudgeted $120,000 figure and still cover existing routes.
Board members pressed staff on whether transportation funds can be moved to the general fund and on rules for buying smaller activity vehicles. The staff member said transfers are possible only in limited circumstances and added that vehicles under 15 passengers cannot be depreciated from the transportation fund, which restricts the district’s ability to budget for small activity buses.
On fleet replacement, the presenter outlined depreciation and timing concerns. One large bus (referenced as “Tammy’s”) is fully depreciated and will need replacing; the staff member cited a $55,000 depreciation figure associated with a cruiser and a purchase date of 02/2018 for that vehicle. Committee members noted typical passenger-bus prices above $100,000 and trade-in allowances that may be as low as about $10,000, complicating replacement planning.
The staff member also described a building-reserve option: the state would provide about $90,000 for a small project if the district approves a permissive levy of “23” (the speaker did not clarify units in the transcript). “They’re gonna give us 90,000, but we’ll have to permissively levy 23,” the staff member said, and recommended the district consider the levy to capture the state contribution.
On programmatic funding, the presenter said the district received a $16,000 grant intended to advance career and technical education; roughly 75% of that grant must be used to reimburse parents for out-of-pocket CTE expenses, and the staff member said $4,000 of the award could be used for field trips. The presenter also described tuition and special-education accounting as effectively one year behind for planning purposes.
Board members asked that staff prepare a formal presentation and supporting binders for the next meeting. Several members recommended a separate transportation-committee meeting to review route-by-route needs and vehicle-justification questions before any purchase decisions.
The presentation ended with staff offering to circulate detailed material ahead of the board presentation scheduled the next day; no formal motions or votes were recorded in the transcript.
