The Atlantic Community School District’s finances are solid, but some areas need to be watched closely. That was the word Monday night from Gary Sinclair, Senior Financial Adviser for PMA Financial Network.

Gary Sinclair

Sinclair presented financial information from the IASB (Iowa Association of School Boards), and a lite Financial Planning Program (FPP) from PMA. He said a summary of the district’s financial data takes a “Big picture” look at how money was spent, where it came from, enrollment trends, cash and unspent balance trends. Enrollment, he said, is one of seven “Key indicators,” of a district’s financial health, as well as the “Solvency ratio,” which, for Atlantic, is 8.6-percent for the current Fiscal Year.

He said the data shows the rate is “slightly down” for Atlantic, which Sinclair says is okay, because “You can’t always have an upward trajectory, it’s gotta be up and down. The recommended range is five-to 15-percent, not to exceed 25.” In FY 2011, Atlantic’s solvency ratio was 9.1%. The highest was in 2008, when the ratio was 14-percent. The current ratio, according to Sinclair, is in-line with what a bulk of other districts are experiencing. In the area of revenue expenditures, Sinclair said the Atlantic District spent 101.5% of revenue, which is healthy, but could be a problem in the future. He said almost every district has spent more money than they took in, because of the cuts in funding they experienced. He says Atlantic is healthy right now, but if overspending continues every year, that will create “some issues.”

Atlantic’s Unspent Budget ratio in FY 2012 was 25.3%, which is down from 28% in FY 2011, but still at the high end of the recommend amount. Sinclair says the recommended range is 5-to 15-percent, not to exceed 25. He said most school districts are in the same boat, a situation he blames in part, on a “Lack of Direction from the legislature.” Even so, he says the district needs to watch how much it has available in unspent budget authority. The Atlantic School District was on par with other districts, as far as its Salary and Benefit ratio, but it needs to watch its spending.

He said also, the district needs to keep tabs on overspending its revenues. In three of the last five-years, the district has overspent its revenue, which Sinclair says “Is not unusual,” and what it should be doing to “Some extent,” but it needs to watch its spending authority closely.

The Iowa State Patrol has released the name of a man who died following a crash early Saturday morning, in Monona County.Officials say 59-year old Albert Butler, of Mapleton, died from his injuries at Mercy Hospital, in Sioux City. Another person in the vehicle, 44-year old Judith Krohn, also of Mapleton, was injured. She was treated at the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Officials say they still don’t know who was driving. Alcohol is believed to have played a role in the accident, which happened at around 1-a.m. Saturday, in Mapleton.

The Patrol says a 2004 Ford F-250 pickup occupied by Butler and Krohn was traveling east on Highway 141, when it failed to negotiate a curve. The vehicle left the road and rolled into the east ditch, just east of Pecan Avenue, in Mapleton. The accident remains under investigation.

The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office says no injuries were reported after a United Parcel Service (UPS) semi overturned early this (Tuesday) morning, on southbound Interstate 29, about 2-miles north of the Missouri border. The semi, pulling double trailers, blocked a portion of the southbound lanes when it flipped over at around 4:35-a.m. The driver, 47-year old David Koons, of Smithville, MO., told authorities when he swerved to avoid several deer in the road, he lost control of the rig, causing it to overturn. Strong winds were also considered to be a factor in the crash.

w/ Ric Hanson

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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A dentist in western Iowa has agreed to pay a $2,500 penalty for not having a valid federal registration for prescribing medication.  The Daily Nonpareil reports that Dr. Michael Rensch made the agreement in a settlement with the Iowa Dental Board.

The board said Rensch repeatedly prescribed controlled substances without a valid registration required by the Drug Enforcement Administration.  The dental board says Rensch’s DEA registration expired on June 1, 2009, and says Rensch confirmed that he issued several prescriptions for controlled substances while lacking the DEA registration. He reinstated his DEA registration in March 2012.

w/ Ric Hanson

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HINTON, Iowa (AP) – A construction company and a natural gas pipeline owner have settled a lawsuit filed after a northwest Iowa pipeline explosion nearly a year ago.  Omaha, Neb.-based Northern Natural Gas Co. had sued DeRocher Construction, of Le Mars, for negligence. Northern sought more than $439,000 in damages.

Officials say the April 25 blast near Hinton occurred after two DeRocher workers who were using machinery to install drainage tile struck the underground pipeline, rupturing it. They ran and escaped fatal injury before it erupted into a fireball.

The Iowa Attorney General’s Office in August fined DeRocher $20,000 for failing to call Iowa One Call to have underground utility lines located before digging.  The companies have delayed court proceedings while final settlement details are worked out. Spokesmen for both companies declined to comment.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have given the all-clear at an Ames post office where a suspicious suitcase was reported. Officials determined yesterday that the suitcase did not pose a threat. It was found in the lobby earlier in the day.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say they lured a man outside of his home with a pack of cigarettes to end a 30-hour standoff in Des Moines. Police used a stun gun to subdue 53-year-old Michael Reed when he stepped on the front porch to get the cigarettes.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa lawmaker who got national attention last week for critical remarks about homosexual lifestyles says he wants to go to lunch with a gay colleague. Sen. Dennis Guth, of Klemme, says on Monday that he’d like to do lunch with Sen. Matt McCoy, of Des Moines, and “get to know each other.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Senate has approved legislation offering a tax break to small businesses if they cover part of employees’ health insurance. The Democratic-majority Senate unanimously approved the plan yesterday.

The Atlantic Board of Education was expecting to receive and accept petitions calling for a bond referendum during their meeting tonight (Monday), but the matter was instead tabled. Superintendent Mike Amstein said that was because the committee responsible for gathering the petitions wanted more time to get information out to the public in an effective manner. Amstein said the committee felt they couldn’t do that in the short amount of time the current election might be held. They requested the Board table the matter until a decision can be made on when the issue moves forward. The petitions are with regard to an $11-million dollar bond referendum for Capital Improvement Projects. Because the School Board took no action on the petitions, a Resolution ordering a special election on the issuance of $11-million worth of General Obligation School Bonds, was also tabled.  A tentative vote on the referendum was set to take place June 25th.

Mr. James Northwick, Elementary Principal at the Emerson-Hubbard, NE School District, approved as the Schuler Principal/Curriculum Director. (photo from the E-H School District website)

The Atlantic School Board was also briefly introduced Monday, to James Northwick, the man who will succeed Cam Smith as the Schuler Elementary Principal/Curriculum Director. Northwick comes from the Emerson-Hubbard School District in Emerson, NE.  Northwick, his wife and young daughter were in the community Monday searching for housing.

Gary Sinclair (Ric Hanson/photo)

Prior to adjourning for the evening, the Board heard a presentation with regard to District Finances, from Gary Sinclair, a former Superintendent with the Dallas Center-Grimes School District. Sinclair serves as the Finance Support Co-Director for the Iowa Association of School Boards and is the Senior Financial Adviser for PMA Financial Network. He spoke about the Financial Planning Program (FPP) to help provide additional resources and support for districts.