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Lead-Deadwood board holds FY2027 budget hearing, swears in business manager and approves routine contracts and insurance renewals
Summary
At its annual meeting the Lead-Deadwood School District presented FY2027 appropriations (general fund $10,054,008.55) and a fund-balance strategy, administered the oath to new business manager Amanda Tropple, elected Amber Dears board president, and approved contracts, handbooks, waivers and insurance renewals including a 35% workers' comp increase.
The Lead-Deadwood School District 40-1 board held its FY2027 budget hearing, administered a swearing-in for the new business manager, elected board leadership and approved several routine personnel and operational items.
Business manager Amanda Tropple presented the published FY2027 appropriations: General Fund $10,054,008.55; Capital $1,585,004.30; Special Education $2,594,004.31; Jensen Fund $79,002.76; Food Service $489,002.57. Tropple said those appropriations produce a balanced budget based on estimated revenues but noted that if the district expends 100% of appropriations it would draw about $108,000 from fund balance.
Dr. Pearson (the district administrator referenced in the packet) described a multi-year strategy to manage the fund balance, saying the board’s target is to hold fund balance at roughly 28% to provide a cushion and to avoid exceeding statutory caps. "Showing a little bit of fund balance being spent ... our target is to get that fund balance year after year right at about 28," he said.
The board administered the oath of office to Amanda Tropple as the district’s business manager and then held the annual-meeting elections: Amber Dears was nominated and elected board president by voice vote; a vice-president was also selected.
On routine business the board approved certified and classified contracts (example: Amanda Wink, 6th-grade SPED), accepted resignations (Jamie Reichert, kindergarten paraprofessional), approved extra-duty contracts (Ryan Kinsey/Ryan Hensley as assistant track coach) and approved middle- and high-school handbook updates.
The board also approved two facilities-related items: a change order for a mini-split HVAC installation and change order #11 for the middle school project. The superintendent/public presenter described two earlier change-order line items totaling about $13,700 that were negotiated—SECO Construction absorbed $10,600 and the remaining $3,100 was reduced to $1,100 (subcontractor reimbursement) as the district closed out the project; the board approved the change order.
Financial and governance items approved by voice vote included the FY2027 workers’ compensation renewal (presenter noted a 35% increase in premium tied to claims experience) and the property-liability insurance renewal (approximately 7% increase). The board also approved four conflict-of-interest waivers disclosing spouses employed by the district (Zach Clement, Tim Madsen, Dan Vandiver and Amy Barth); one abstention was recorded on the Tim Madsen waiver.
Administrators reported upcoming harassment-prevention training for all staff, near-completion of the middle school construction with a small punch list remaining, and ongoing discussion about formalizing a request and contract process for community use of district buses and facilities. Facilities staff reported completed inspections on all buses, mini-split installations, new kitchen equipment and identification of a gas line that will require sidewalk repair.
Next steps: the board will publish the finalized FY2027 handbook packet and continue monitoring fund-balance performance; no formal budget adoption vote was recorded in the transcript at this meeting.
