State aid may diminish for public schools

State aid cuts could be in the future for K-12 schools, Dr. Yancy Poorman told the North County school board Thursday.

Poorman said he does not believe they will have any withholdings this fiscal year but they could have some next fiscal year, as early as August.

He said the state is experiencing a shortfall and is using up its reserves. He said the cuts could be substantial to the district since they rely heavily on state aid. He said this makes it even more important to pass the no-tax increase bond issue in April.

Other bad news he shared was that it looks like medical insurance for the district will increase. He said major claims in the consortium have tripled. He said he will know more in the spring.

Because the school had to close for three snow days this week, the fall semester will be extended to Jan. 9 to allow time for benchmark exams. Students return from Christmas vacation on Jan. 6.

The school has one built-in snow days and five make-up days in the calendar.

Assistant Superintendent Mike Jarvis said he made a mistake in sending the AlertNow Tuesday morning. Because of error, the message that school was canceled didn’t reach everyone it should have.

During the public comment part of the meeting, Paul Williams voiced concerns about a tutoring program at Parkside Elementary. He said it sets a bad precedent in allowing a group to tutor. He asked what happens when a different group of a different religion wants to tutor the next year.

He said he had concerns about a letter sent out to ministers about the program that makes it sound like they are more concerned about soliciting children for churches in the Parkland than tutoring.

In other matters, the board discussed setting guidelines for public comments and moving the February meeting to Feb. 17. The board will also begin using laptops as a way to cut down on paper.

Only one person has filed for the two seats up for grabs on the school board in April. Incumbent, Jack Poston has filed but the other current school board member, Charlie Farr, has decided not to run.

Teresa Ressel is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 179 or at tressel@dailyjournalonline.com.