The Gilpin County School Board approved the 2022-2023 budget including teacher and administrative salaries during a regular meeting on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at 7 p.m. Joseph Tinucci with the business office said he had “lots of good stuff” to talk about and said he will talk about numbers in the overall budget to give everybody a bigger picture.

Tinucci said the state gives each district all its numbers including real estate taxes. One part of the budget the state doesn’t give Gilpin is funds from the City of Black Hawk. “It’s a business we are in, and marketing, which is everybody, teachers, kids, everybody.”

Significant changes to the 2022- 2023 budget include the fact that one of the teachers won a new grant for $80,000. “We have some money and grants that will be rolled over.”

The state equalization is down about $108,000. For major expenses, salary is about 95 percent of the budget. The School also has fixed expenses for maintenance at $1.2 million, 17 percent of the budget. The final part consists of capital projects such as the wastewater treatment plan and repairs to the driveway.

Board Chair Joe Marr said the plant hasn’t been maintained. Tinucci said the school had 483 kids in 2020. The way the state works out its share is that they use a three-year average enrollment. Next year the school will receive $2.45 million from the state, down from previous numbers.

“That is concerning to me,” Tinucci said. “Any new person who comes in, we would get paid for that student. If we could potentially add six kids coming to Gilpin, that would be $66,000. Right now, as a conservative approach, we won’t go back to 483.”

Tinucci looked at the headcounts. Real estate taxes will stay the same. Black Hawk money is not guaranteed but he put in $1.8 million. The casino industry is leveling off again.

Marr said there is nothing we can deal with today. Board Member Sarah Swanson said she is already seeing results from marketing efforts. At the Open House on April 27, the displays and videos were amazing, and it was really effective.

Superintendent David MacKenzie suggested offering another open house earlier in the year and one towards the end of the year. The Board suggested a video production.

The Board approved the budget requests: the 2021/2022 Supplemental Budget June 22- 23; the 2021/2022 Supplemental Budget Appropriation Resolution; the 2021/2022 Supplemental Budget Fund Balance/Reserves; the 2021/2022 Supplemental Budget Food Service Fund Beginning Fund Balance/Reserves; the 2021/2022 Supplemental Budget Capital Projects Fund Beginning Fund Balance/Reserves; the 2021/2022 Supplemental Budget Pupil Activity Agency Fund Beginning Fund Balance/Reserves; the 2022/2023 June Adopted Budget; the 2022/2023 June Adopted Budget Appropriation Resolution; the 2022/2023 June Adopted Budget General Fund Beginning Fund Balance/Reserves; the 2022/2023 June Adopted Budget Food Service Fund Beginning Fund Balance; the 2022/2023 June Adopted Budget Capital Projects Fund Beginning Fund Balance; and the 2022/2023 June Adopted Budget Pupil Activity Agency Fund Beginning Fund Balance/Reserves.

The Board also approved and adopted the Licensed Teacher Salary Schedule with $41,227; the Classified Salary Schedules for the 2022/2023; the Manager Salary Schedules for the 2022/2023; and the Administrative Salary Schedules for the 2022/2023 School Year. They also included the staff salary schedule and holidays.

The Board adopted the Extracurricular Stipend Salary Schedules for the 2022/2023 School Year and approved a one-step increment salary increase for all employees who are able to move to the next step in a column on their assigned salary schedule for the 2022/2023 school year.

The Board discussed the Second Reading of Policy Update and Revision for Staff Salary Schedules and Benefits. MacKenzie said he created a model for a paraprofessional and added in their benefits for an average salary of $85,000. The Board wanted to make sure it’s the best choice

The Board wanted to move forward and keep paras at their existing rate. MacKenzie said, “Given my staffing numbers I can run my own school…. If we can find someone who wants to work half time, then we shouldn’t try to find something in the afternoon for them. Let’s not put the baby out with the bathwater and be more responsible with staffing if we can make that work for 20 hours per week.”

The Board approved the second reading.

Regarding strategic communications, August 11 will be back to school night and the school is planning to have a barbecue with hamburgers. Board members suggested a targeted outreach to Coal Creek Canyon and mail market targeting the fringe areas.

The next meeting of the Gilpin County School Board will be on May 17, 2022. For more information, go to https://gilpin.k12.co.us/en-US/ board-of-education-306258ac.