Troy, Libby districts finalize budgets for the upcoming year

Amid the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, Lincoln County school administrators have ironed out budgets for the coming year.

Troy high school and elementary school will be managing general funds of just over $1,390,000 and nearly $1,878,000, respectively. The budgets were approved during a Troy Public Schools Board meeting Aug. 18.

The elementary school has seen a more than $50,000 increase in its general fund compared to last year. Superintendent Jacob Francom said the bump was due to additional students enrolling in the school. The increase brought the elementary school general funds to the maximum the district could levy without a community vote, Francom said.

The high school and elementary school have budgeted, respectively, nearly $128,000 and slightly more than $175,000 in reserves for their general funds.

For transportation, the high school and elementary schools have set aside $280,000 and $330,000, respectively. There was a $20,000 increase in this category for both schools. The change is due to an expected uptick in busing costs due to the pandemic, according to Francom.

Bus depreciation, a portion of the budget used to purchase new buses or busing equipment, has seen a similar increase. For the high school, this category of the budget has grown from just over $70,000 last fiscal year to around $85,000 this coming year. For the elementary school, busing depreciation went from nearly $43,000 to almost $54,000. Francom said the change was made in preparation to buy a new bus, potentially next summer.

The tuition fund, a portion of the budget that Troy schools use to help pay for special education expenses, remained at $60,000 for the elementary school. The high school will see an increase from $30,000 to $45,000 in this category this coming year.

Retirement funds remained constant at $175,000 and $280,000 for the high school and elementary school, respectively.

Adult education, a fund that can be used to pay for the training of anyone 16 and older outside of the high school setting, saw increases for both schools. For the high school, this portion of the budget rose from $35,000 to $40,000. The elementary school will see an increase from $25,000 to $35,000.

In the buildings reserve portion of the budget, the high school will see a decrease from just over $60,000 last year to around $51,000 this year. The elementary school will see a roughly $10,000 fund rise to nearly $80,000 this year. Francom said that when it came to the buildings reserve, schools permissively levy a certain amount, which is matched by the state.

Both schools will see a decrease in the debt service portion of their budgets from just over $81,000 to just under $80,000. According to Francom, these funds will be going towards the activity center. It will take two more years before the center is paid off.

Francom said this year taxes will go down based on what the school is planning to levy. For a home that is worth $100,000, taxes will dip from around $407 to $400. According to Francom, this is the first time in three to four years that taxes have fallen.

Francom told board members that Troy School budgets have not taken into account the coronavirus relief funds schools will receive from the state. While these funds will be dealt with outside of the budget, according to Francom, they will allow for the hiring of a nurse and five paraprofessionals for the coming year.

Libby Public Schools board members approved their budget Aug. 10. The Libby budget is not broken down by facility and administrators were unable to provide a copy of last year’s budget for comparison before The Western News’ print deadline.

In the general fund category, the district has budgeted just over $8,300,000.

Next year, the district anticipates needing a little more than $819,000 to cover the costs of transportation. The district has also budgeted an extra $120,000 in coronavirus relief funds to open up new bus routes needed to ensure social distancing on the vehicles. A $26,000 contingency fund is incorporated into the transportation category to accommodate late contracts and bus route extensions without amending the budget.

Administrators have budgeted just over $171,000 for their tuition fund. This fund is used by Libby Schools to pay for the tuition of students from outside of the district in addition to special education expenses.

The district has set aside $1,225,000 for its retirement fund.

In the adult education and technology portions of the budget, officials have put aside $23,000 and $50,000 respectively.

Administrators have set the flexibility fund at just over $126,000. This fund is used to pay salaries, operating expenses and building expenses. School officials can also purchase supplies and equipment using this fund.

The district has budgeted $1,309,000 in build reserve funds.