Members of the Fayette School board gave unanimous approval to Superintendent Jill Wiseman’s recommendation of continuing with a property tax rate of $4.9962 per $100 of assessed valuation. The vote occurred during an annual tax rate hearing prior to the Board of Education’s regular meeting on Wednesday, August 18.

The rate remains the same as that of a year ago. Of that total tax, $4.22 will go toward the district’s operating levy and $0.7762 is for debt service. 

New revenue from new construction and improvements is expected to total $120,568, said Wiseman.

No members of the public outside the employ of the district, or those serving on the Board of Education, were present at the hearing, and no objections were raised.

The district ended the 2020-21 school year with a significant increase in cash. As of June 30, the unrestricted fund balance totaled $3,868,677.51, or 45.32%. A goal of the board is to have a minimum fund balance of 25%. This year’s balance is an increase of 28.72% over that of last year. 

“It’s exciting to see that number,” said Wiseman.

The immensity of the increase is attributed to monies doled out to school districts through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her report to the board, Wiseman said the addition of ESSER and CARES funds had a dramatic impact on the district’s fund balance and will be utilized to help make necessary improvements in our district facilities. The district has already received around $700,000 from ESSER 1 and 2. Another $1.2 million is expected.

Wiseman said much of that money will be funneled into the district’s capital projects fund to make district-wide HVAC improvements. The board on Wednesday approved a proposal by Control, Technology and Solutions (CTS Group) to spearhead infrastructure improvement projects, including HVAC upgrades and other systems in need of repair or replacement. 

Enrollment was projected to rise for the district when the fall semester began on Tuesday of this week. Daily Elementary will have around 300 students in Kindergarten through fifth grade, with 37 students enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten. Clark Middle School expects 130 students. High school enrollment will be around 190, with at least 16 new students transferring here.

Because Daly Elementary expects a sharp increase in students to the fourth grade, the board approved the hiring of an additional paraprofessional. Currently, there are 28 students enrolled in each of the two fourth grade classes. DES principal Cheri Huster said that a second paraprofessional may be needed. “Right now we definitely need one.”

The Falcon Club is full with about two dozen students on the waitlist. The program began in the second semester of the last academic year. It allows students aged five through 12 to go to school on Mondays and stay until 6 p.m. the rest of the week when school is in session. 

The Fayette district transitioned to a four-day school week beginning with the 2020-21 school year with Mondays off. The chief concern among opponents to the change was child care on those Mondays. In many families, both parents work full-time and are unable to take Mondays off. Compounded with fewer daycare options, the four-day schedule had a significant effect on those families.

The program was paid for by a School Age Children (SAC) grant in the amount of $233,851. It will help fund the program over a three-year period. The after-school program costs $1 per day, although students who qualify for free and reduced lunch may enroll at no charge. The Monday program costs $5 a day per student or $3 a day for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch.

The school district hosted a full summer school. One hundred sixty-six elementary and 18 high school students attended. Elementary classes focused on reading and math while high school students worked toward credit recovery. Occupational, physical, and speech therapies were also offered during the summer session.

In other business, the board approved a tuition rate of $9,050.00 per student, per year, for students who attend Fayette schools but who live outside the boundaries of the district. The rate is determined with a calculation tool provided by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and changes annually based upon expenditures and average daily attendance from the prior year. 

Wiseman said currently no students are attending from outside the district.

Members approved bids from Wright’s Oil Company for fuel and lubricants, Home Oil Company for tires for district vehicles, and JIREH, Inc., for bus tires. 

The board also gave approval to the Parents as Teachers program to apply for a grant from the Fayette Common Fund in the amount of $3,450 so that PAT may participate in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. The program mails a book to each enrolled child once a month from birth until the age of five at an annual cost of around $30. The grant would help pay for 115 children to receive books. PAT applies yearly to the Common Fund.

The Board of Education meets regularly on the third Wednesday of every month, except for July, at 6:30 p.m. in the high school library. Meetings are open and the public is invited.