CI BOARD LOOKS AT BALANCING THE BUDGET

The Crosby Ironton School Board meets Monday night, December 17th to talk about budget reductions. Both Business Manager Bill Tollefson and Superintendent Jamie Skevlund told the board earlier that spending will have to be reduced by nearly $1,000,000 by the end of the school year. Skevlund said Monday night's meeting will also include a discussion of the definition of a good fund balance and SOD or statutory operating debt, and enrollment predictions for the 2008-2009 school year. Skevlund said he gets a lot of people pleading with him to cut nothing and if SOD happens, so be it, that C-I was in that condition before and got out and can do it again. Skevlund said that's a terrible way to run any business including education. Minnesota's Department of Education can declare a school district in SOD if 2.5% of the previous year's budget was in deficit. The C-I board removed the district from SOD two years ago. This year's budget was based on an estimate of nearly 1400 pupil units, a state education formula term. Actual enrollment on December 7, 2007 was 1,189.