Area school districts brace to handle state budget cuts
RICHMOND – School districts that have built sufficient reserves to cover hard times will find getting through the next two years easier than districts that have not.
“You have reserve balances for when you have a problem and that’s what we’ve got,” Excelsior
Springs School District Superintendent Dan Hoehn said.
Richmond has reserves to address the coming school year, incoming Superintendent Greg Darling said.
“Our projected carryover is looking at about 23%,” he said.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does not recommend a specific reserve amount for school districts, unless those districts have been designated as “stressed” financially, DESE Communications Coordinator Mallory McGowan said.
At the Missouri School Board Association, Jefferson City, Deputy Executive Director Brent Ghan said having reserves in the 12 to 20% ranges sounds “pretty typical,” but MSBA has no recommended target number for reserves. “It is a local decision,” Ghan said.
Most school…