BY CAROL HICKS
HOOPESTON — Financial Director Don Dean told the Hoopeston Area School Board Thursday night that Hoopeston’s end of the year financial report for the 2008 school year looked good.
“All in all, we finished in as decent a shape as we could,” Dean said.
The education fund revenue came in at 114 percent of the budgeted figure due to the fact that the total state aid came in higher than originally thought due to an increased foundation level, an increase in the Title I students and the Summer Migrant program.
“This translates into a positive cash flow for the district of $140,000, that is money we thought we might spend but did not,” Dean said. “When you get 66 percent revenue from the government, you budget carefully.”
The building fund had a net deficit of $220,000, according to Dean, which was known at the beginning of the year.
The roof project of $140,000 already was on hand at the beginning of the year, Dean said.
The lighting cost was $80,000 and would not be reimbursed until next year.
Transportation had a deficit of $73,000 that also was better than initially thought, according to Dean.
“The state aid payment for transportation will be here Friday,” Superintendent Hank Hornbeck said, “so our deficit (in transportation) is only $13,000.”
In other business, the school board:
-- Approved the student policy manuals for 2008-09 school year.
-- Approved the amendment to the school calendar showing Veterans Day, Nov. 11, as a student attendance day and the ending of school as June 4.
-- Approved a bid of $9,753.90 from Ervin Construction of Hoopeston for the middle school/high school gutters that correspond with the roof repair that was under warranty.
Ervin was the lowest bid of three bids received. Built To Last of Hoopeston and Advanced Roofing of the Champaign/Urbana area also sent in bids.
Bids were accepted for the 2008-09 school year from Illini FS, Inc. for gas, Butternut Interstate Brands for bread, and Prairie Farms Watseka for milk.
-- Approved the estimated budget for the new school year and authorization to prepare the tentative budget.
-- Learned the Migrant School Program had an average of 32 students daily in the program in June.
“Basically we are back to where we were two years ago when they took Watseka out (of the program),” said John Greer Principal Dan Walder.
-- Learned the summer school program to recover lost credits was a success.
According to High School Principal Larry Maynard, 20 of the 21 students completed the program, earning at least one credit and some earning three credits during the past summer.
“These students took a rigorous curriculum and did well, very well,” Maynard said.
He added their grades were all good also.
-- Learned several events are coming up for band, show choir and flags.
Marching band rookie camp was is scheduled for 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday through July 25; flag camp would run from 1-5 p.m. Wednesday through July 25; marching band camp will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 28 through Aug. 1, with a one-hour break for lunch. High school show choir camp is scheduled 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug.4-8, with a one-hour break for lunch.
-- Accepted the resignations of Ruth Siemers as Honeywell reading improvement aide and Jim Wisdom as bus driver.
-- Hired Kendra Flohr for eighth-grade language arts, Earl Eells and Diane Goble as bus drivers, and Lori Montez as middle school personal aide.
-- Approved the memorandum of understanding with the Hoopeston Education Association concerning the TERA IEP software program.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Hoopeston School Board will be meet at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 21 at the high school library.
