NH board hears ‘state of union’ of finances
J.C. Lyell, Staff Writer, [email protected]
Following the January meeting of the North Harrison Community School Corp. Board of Trustees on Thursday, Superintendent Dr. Lance Richards hashed out details of the corporation’s 2020 budget as part of his annual financial report to the board.
“You can think of this as a ‘state of the union’ for your financial needs,” he said.
Richards said the corporation’s school property tax rate for 2020 was set at 78 cents per $100 assessed property value by the Indiana Dept. of Local Government and Finance. The rate has ticked up, ever-so slightly, from last year’s rate, which was 77.98 cents, for properties in the North Harrison school district.
The tax will account for $3,918,848 of the corporation’s $22 million budget.
The amount will go into North Harrison’s debt service and operations budget categories, which were set at $2,541,979 and $5,750,000, respectively, for 2020.
These categories are also supported by miscellaneous revenues that include school distributions of local income taxes, commercial vehicle excise taxes, financial institution taxes and riverboat funds.
The debt services category budgets for expenses such as building leases and construction bonds, while operations covers utilities, building improvements, maintenance and equipment purchases, including buses.
Because NHCSC does not have a referendum fund, the only other category considered in its budget, the largest at $13,745,501, is education. This category is state funded and pays for staff salaries and benefits and instructional supplies.
During the meeting held prior to Richards’ financial report, the board had elections for its three officer positions.
Each officer was re-elected by unanimous vote, with Veronica Battista remaining as president, Marla Adams vice president and Steve Hanger secretary.
The board also unanimously voted to reappoint corporation treasurer JoAnn Burson, assistant treasurer Judy Jeffries and extra-curricular treasurer Kathy Chinn.
Dr. Steve Hatton, assistant superintendent of the school corporation, was reappointed to serve on the Harrison County Alternative Education Center Board of Directors.
Other appointments made by the board were Jason McIntire, high school freshmen boys’ basketball coach; Hannah Mowery, instructional assistant/music teacher at Morgan Elementary School; Rachel Windell, instructional assistant/music teacher at North Harrison Elementary School; and Carly Cassidy, preschool teacher at North Harrison Elementary for the spring semester.
Resignations accepted were Carol Smith as elementary music teacher; Rachel Jacobi as Morgan Elementary instructional assistant; and Stephanie Jackson, high school SADD sponsor.
