2020-21 Budget Adjustments

The School Board is currently in the process of reviewing the 2020-21 Budget and making necessary adjustments in order to reconcile the budget.  Documents relating to this process can be found here for the public to view.  As a reminder, all meetings are being recorded and will be available for the community to view HERE.

If you are interested in viewing the Budget Adjustment Timeline you can do so by clicking here.

Addressing the School Board
Please note that while School Board meetings are currently being held via Zoom, individuals are still able to address the School Board.  Individuals wishing to address the School Board at a scheduled School Board Meeting must have read Policy 206 which can be accessed by clicking above and then submitting the accompanying "Request to Address the School Board" form.

Policy 206 and the 
form can be obtained by clicking HERE, by calling the District Office to request a form be sent to them via email or regular mail, or by picking up a form at the ISD #200 District Offices located at 1000 West 11th Street in Hastings.


UPDATES
12.09.2020 - At the Regular School Board Meeting held on Wednesday, December 9th, 2020, the School Board was presented with the final details requested regarding the budget reductions that affect class sizes.  The goal for the 21-22 budget reductions was to reduce spending by $1.7 million.  The total approved by the School Board in terms of non class size reductions totaled $728,823.  Regarding class sizes, the decision of the School Board was to reduce building FTE by the following amounts:
Elementary - 2 FTE
Middle School - 2 FTE
High School - 8 FTE
These reductions will result in a budget reduction of $984,246.  This brings the total board approved reductions to the 21-22 budget to $1,713,069.

The public is welcome to watch the Board meeting or to review the Budget Adjustment Presentation by clicking on the links below.

12.09.2020 - Regular School Board Meeting
12.09.2020 - Budget Adjustment Presentation

11.18.2020
- At the Regular School Board Meeting held on Wednesday, November 18th, 2020, the School Board had further discussions regarding the options for Budget Reductions.  The non-class size changes and savings are as follows:
Decrease of membership/dues/fees - $35,800
Reduce building supply budgets - $230,348
Reduce club expenses - $23,291
Decrease High School after school security - $24,805
Reduce support staff at the High School and Middle School - $114,579
The School Board decided to take action on all of these items at the Board Meeting.  The vote was unanimously passed to take proceed with all of the non-class size reductions listed above.

There was further discussion regarding class size budget adjustment options.  It was determined at the meeting that the Board would like to see a little bit more information on this proposal at the Regular Board Meeting on December 9th when action will be taken.  The total budget reduction for the 2021-2022 budget pending further Board approval will be $1,701,102.  

If you would like to see the details regarding the budget reductions as presented by Superintendent McDowell you can do so below.  There is a link to both the budget presentation as well as the budget reduction excerpt of the recorded School Board Meeting.

11.18.2020 - Budget Adjustment Presentation
11.18.2020 - Budget discussion video

11.4.2020
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There was a Special School Board Work Session held on Wednesday, November 4th, 2020 held to facilitate budget adjustment discussions and to provide further information about possible options for the budget adjustments.  Superintendent McDowell presented the School Board Members with specific details as requested by Board Members regarding the budget adjustment list.  The Board had extensive discussions about how to proceed regarding decisions revolving around class sizes at both the elementary levels and secondary schooling levels. 

At the end of the session, the School Board determined that they would like further feedback from the community.  More information regarding this will be provided at the Regular Board Meeting on Wednesday, November 18th.  The Board also decided that it would not need an extra work session that was planned for November 9th, 2020, to discuss the options further.  The cancellation of this meeting has been reflected in the meeting timeline below.  

If you would like to view the presentation provided by Superintendent McDowell, please use the link below:

11.4.2020 Work Session Presentation

10.20.2020
- There was a Special School Board Work Session on Wednesday, October 21st, 2020 held to facilitate further budget adjustment discussions and provide updates.  At the meeting Superintendent McDowell provided the School Board with an update regarding the current standing of the 20-21 budget.  After the audit was completed for the 20-21 budget the budget has ended up with a positive balance of about $400,000.  Superintendent McDowell proceeded to present the results from the budget adjustment survey that was sent to school employees as well as parents.  The Board then discussed a list of items that are being considered for further review and consideration for budget adjustments.  Board action will be taken on two different items at the next Regular School Board Meeting on Wednesday, October 28th, 2020.  This meeting will be held via Zoom and live streamed at 6:00 PM via Hastings Community TV's Facebook page.  If you would like to view the live stream you can locate HCTV's Facebook page by clicking HERE.

If you would like to view the presentation that Superintendent McDowell created please click the link below:

10.21.2020 Budget Adjustment Work Session 2
10.21.2020 Guiding Changes

10.7.2020
- At the School Board Work Session held on October 7th, 2020 Superintendent McDowell presented the Hastings School Board with the recommendations for budget adjustments for the 2020-21 school year.  His presentation also included the forecast for of the budget for the 2021-22 school year.  Please note that there was no action taken at this time regarding the items discussed at this meeting, they were recommendations only.  There was discussion about having another special work session just to discuss budget adjustments further later in October.  The meetings specifics regarding date, time, and location for this meeting will be listed below as well as on the main School Board page found HERE.

If you would like to view the slide presentation that was presented by Superintendent McDowell please click on the link below:

10.7.2020 Budget Adjustment Recommendations


9.9.2020 - At the School Board Work Session held on September 9th, 2020, the School Board worked together to start a draft of a Guiding Changes document.  The purpose of this document is to define the current challenges and realities of the budget, what the School Board desires to see when at the end of this process, and what the School Board is unwilling to do.  At this meeting there was also a power point presented to review the current budget before any adjustments are made.

To view either of these documents please click on the links below:

9.9.2020 Budget Review Presentation
9.9.2020 Budget Adjustment Guiding Changes Draft


Upcoming Meetings and Meeting Locations

Regular Board Meeting - Wednesday, December 9th, 2020  6:00 PM - Zoom Meeting