4R board holds line on budget

The Aurora 4R School Board approved a flat $15.26 million budget for fiscal year 2024-25 Monday, noting that the tax levy will drop by 10 cents to 71 cents per $100 valuation due to a dramatic 14 percent increase in the district’s property valuation.
Board members heard no input during public hearings on both the proposed budget and tax levy Monday night, though Supt. Jody Phillips did offer insight on the process and the final numbers.
“A 14 percent valuation increase is huge and that creates fright from our taxpayers when they see valuations go up that much,” Phillips said. “I think it’s important to note that we held the line on tax asking.”
The budget approved Monday calls for a tax request of $15,262,515, which is the same tax request of a year ago. Phillips noted that last year’s tax request was a half a million dollars lower than the year before, thus he concluded that legislation passed by Nebraska lawmakers two years ago did provide some tax relief to local constituents.
As explained by Cole Ashby, the district’s business manager, key factors impacting this year’s budget were a 5 percent increase in salary and benefits; a strategic plan now in the works, the results of which are expected to be discussed in the coming months; the loss of ESSER (COVID relief) funds; and a plan to build operational cashflow into the general fund to avoid using a line of credit. Phillips added that no significant legislation was passed during the recent special session, though he said bills impacting school funding are expected next year.
“I think all of you should be commended for how our finances look and what we’re doing to keep tax asking flat compared to last year,” commented board member Brock Wyatt. “I feel real good about where we’re at from a financial standpoint. There are definitely some things coming down the pike and being in the spot we are allows us to plan for those better.”

Cell phone policy
Another issue that drew administrative comments on Monday’s agenda was the district’s new cell phone policy at the high school.
High school administrators Doug Kittle and Cody Hoegh both said the policy implementation has gone well, perhaps even better than expected. Phillips later elaborated on those sentiments.
“I am amazed at how well that has gone,” Phillips said of the cell phone policy, which prohibits students from having cell phones during school hours. “Our students have handled it very well. One of the first comments I heard was the fact that everyone had to adhere to the policy, and there was comfort in that.”
Phillips shared that the lunch room used to be quiet, with almost all students focused on their cell phones. Now, with the new policy, he has observed that the lunch room is loud again.
“Now we have kids talking, interacting and being a little squirrely once in a while, which is great to see,” he said. “Our kids have handled it very well, so I hope people see our effort to make school a little better to navigate.”
During his administrative report, Phillips said he has spent considerable time studying traffic flow, in light of the district’s decision to end in-town busing. He said the change has gone better than expected, though he continues to time student arrivals and dismissals, paying particular attention to a concern with traffic flow on 1st and H streets by the elementary school. 
“From a traffic flow standpoint in the third week of school things are going pretty well, but I will continue to monitor it,” he said.
Phillips also reported that the city will not begin major construction on the 1st Street project in the school area until late spring or early summer, though work to bury water lines will begin next week on the east side of 1st Street.
During his administrative report, Kittle also mentioned that of the 385 students at Aurora High School, 307 are involved in at least one extracurricular activity.
During the public comment period, Cora Njuguna addressed the board for about 15 minutes, sharing concern with the way the district combines the High Ability Learners and FPS programs. She pointed out that the Nebraska Department of Education offers guidelines for determining which students are eligible, but said she believes the Aurora district is disregarding those guidelines, allowing teachers to hand pick who they want and don’t want to be included. The board thanked her for her input.
Regarding action items on the agenda, the board:
* went into executive session for 20 minutes to discuss potential litigation and administrative action;
* renewed a $2 million line of credit with Cornerstone Bank for the 2024-25 fiscal year;
* approved a new part-time buildings and grounds position, not to exceed 20 hours per week;
* tabled a decision after lengthy discussion about the need for a new part-time strength and conditioning coach;
* approved temporary and permanent easements with the City of Aurora for the 1st Street improvement project.