BCLUW board reviews financial outlook, early retirement

BCLUW Superintendent Ben Petty went over the details of the district’s finances and discussed the long-term outlook during Monday night’s regular meeting at the middle school in Union.
           
The maximum authorized budget for 2018, which Petty compared to a credit limit, is $10,299,642, and the unspent authorized budget is $3,311,865. Last year’s figures were $9,609,983 and $2,939,153, respectively. Overall, expenditures for the year to date ($1.289 million) are slightly lower than they were at this time a year ago ($1.315 million).
           
Nonetheless, enrollment is once again down by about 11 students, and BCLUW continues to battle a statewide trend in rural areas.
           
“We just can’t keep going on the way we have been if we’re going to keep seeing student enrollment declines of 15, 20 or maybe 25 students a year,” Petty said. “I’m happy with where we’re at. It’s going to need continual monitoring. We made the reductions we needed to, and if we’re going to continue to see it decline, we’re going to have to make some other tough choices in the years ahead.” 
 
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