Giltner school approves budget

The Giltner School Board approved its budget for the 2024-2025 school year during Monday night’s meeting. The tax asking was decreased by 5.2 percent from last year’s rate. The approved rate is 64.4 cents per $100 of valuation, a decrease of 12.5 percent from last year.
The combined property tax request went down from $3.13 million last year to $2.97 million.
Before the vote took place, Supt. Nick Mumm provided a presentation to the school board of the changes made for the 2024-2025 budget, noting the current district valuation was increased by 21 percent, going from $382.7 million to $462.4 million.
Along with the decrease of the school budget, the general fund decreased from $2.83 million last year to $2.78 million.
“We’re being efficient with our money and we’re lowering our tax asking, because that’s important,” Mumm explained. “Every dollar is important, every penny, and we know that. It’s hard on people, so we want to be as efficient and as responsible with the tax dollars possible. (Our accounts) aren’t fully repaired, but we’ve spent so much time working on those and working hard about watching every dollar with the available resources, plus tax valuation and tax asking.”
Along with noting the improvements to the district’s budgeting process since 2020, Mumm highlighted several improvements to the district, including upgrades to the schools’ utilities, transportation, security, technology, and classrooms designated for ag and FCS.
“We didn’t have any money when I got here,” Mumm said. “We were virtually broke, and so by repairing all that and doing all those things, it’s been pretty amazing that the board and all of us have been able to get that accomplished at the same time, and now we’re dropping the levy as much as we are.”
The superintendent noted that with the success of the school budgets from previous years, the school board never had to attend any pink postcard meetings.
“I would say any superintendent that has any idea what they’re doing is going to tell you that it’s important,” Mumm stated. “It takes you off the ND blacklist, (and tells) the legislature, the governor and everybody that can you can function at that 3 percent or under.
“(For a) third straight year, Giltner has not had to go to the postcard meeting for the 3 percent or the 2 percent plus level of growth and we have not attended any of those meetings and I’m pretty proud of that,” he continued. “We’ve done a lot of work and in the meantime also staying off of going to those particular meetings.”
Looking toward the future, Mumm stated the school board will continue its trend of option enrollment, which is currently up to 60 percent. Mumm stated the school received state aid of $1.1 million, receiving $10,400 per option enrolled student with the additional aid of $1,500 per student from foundation aid from the state.
“It’s great to have people moving into our community,” Mumm commented. “We hope we continue to have them, but we also have to remember, sometimes the amount of money we get off of an option enrolled student is more than we’re going to get a lot of times off tax in the community for homes and those kinds of things.”
Mumm said with the changes in legislation, the school is focused on maintaining its six to eight-month budget reserves from the general fund.
“I used to be a three to four-month superintendent in terms of the general fund, now I’m over six to eight,” Mumm said. “I think it’s important that we can tell that story out there. Regardless of what somebody may do to us or what may happen on any given day, we have six to eight months’ worth of funds that we can pay our bills without worrying about what may happen. That should be comforting to a lot of people as we fight to keep small schools in Nebraska open.”

Regular school board meeting
Following the budget meeting, the school board members approved $150,000 for the relocation and restarting of the two modular buildings that currently host the Little Stingers Daycare. The modulars will be relocated south of the school on property the school acquired early this year.
Mumm noted that after talking with a fire marshal, it was recommended to avoid establishing a basement due to the multiple requirements the daycare would need, such as two exits and a sprinkler system.
Mumm said the planned use for the basement did not justify the expense of building it. 
“Should the daycare and the school board move forward with not having the basement, the school will become its designated storm shelter,” Mumm said. 
Towards the end of the meeting, Mumm confirmed to the school board that they will be meeting with members of Hausmann Construction, First National Capital Markets and Wilkins Design at next month’s regular school board meeting on Oct. 17 to discuss rerunning the school bond.
In other action, the Giltner School Board: 
*approved the Student Academic Performance report for the 2023-2024 school year;
*approved the 2023-2024 school audit costs from Dana Cole to not exceed $10,900;
*approved concrete work on the south side of the building to not exceed $6,000.