The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education Monday night held a public hearing with regard to the district’s proposed 2015-16 Certified Budget. Hearing no comments for or against the proposal, the budget was approved. The Fiscal Year 2016 Budget, which amounts to $6,512,112, is $226,089 more than last year’s (FY2015) budget (of $6,286,023). The school district’s levy will increase from $14.91-per thousand dollars valuation in FY2015 to $15.22-per thousand, for FY 2016.

The Board however by unanimous vote declined to ratify the Non-Certified Employees 2015-16 tentative contract agreement, thereby sending the matter to mediation, then arbitration, if necessary beyond that. Superintendent Dr. Michael Amstein said the negotiations went fairly fast this year. The tentative agreement they had reached was for part-time employees to receive time-off with pay for the holidays, which only affected two employees. They also granted an hourly increase of 47-cents, which would cost the district $87, 584.

Amstein said that factored in a state supplemental aid increase from 2 to 2.5-percent. Board member Phil Hascall said “He struggled with” the 3.28-percent increase, and other board members agreed. Hascall said “I really think that we should have done maybe a better job of trying to settle for half of that. It’s tough for me to vote for something like that when we’re going to get two and a half percent [from the Legislature] as a district. I wish our bargainer would have done a little better job than that…somebody that can take the heat rather than you [Amstein] or the board…and hold the line.”

Hascall said it’s not that he doesn’t think people don’t deserve a raise, but in his business and elsewhere, it’s hard to justify a nearly three-percent raise. “It’s sends a message to the rest of the employees who haven’t [yet] settled.” Board member Rod Hartwig said the amount was “A little higher than I thought it would be,” and Hascall said he didn’t want to vote for something that might result in the elimination of the para-educators.

In his report to the Board, Superintendent Amstein said the legislature’s failure to act on State Supplemental Aid continues to frustrate administrators such as himself. He said it’s been over the month since the deadline has past under Iowa Code for the amount of aid to be set. Amstein said in talking with Superintendents in other districts, he isn’t optimist they’ll have the final number by April. That he says is sad, because “It holds districts hostage in trying to create budgets, when you don’t know what amount it going to be available for school funding.”

The legislature’s inaction on Early Start Waivers has also impacted districts. Atlantic has created two calendars, one with an August 31st date, and one for August 24th. If they don’t hear anything from the legislature by mid-April, Amstein said the district will have to act on its own accord.