The Wayland Union school district continues to get good financial news.
Finance Director Bill Melching told the Board of Education Monday night that the district is ahead of the game by about $338,000 as of Feb. 1 because of three factors — lower than expected costs for gasoline, a mild winter and a reduction in retirement costs. The last of three factors was estimated to have a savings of about $100,000.
This also made it easier for the board to approve $232,418 in anticipated costs for summer capital improvement projects for the summer of 2016.
The projects will include replacement of high school lockers $143,723, new locker room shower heads, air conditioning for the Wayland Fitness Center at $42,623 and renovations for the high school baseball and softball fields, $41,572.
The replacement of lockers attracted only one bid and it was about $18,000 over what had been budgeted. The second area actually came in at $22,700 under budget.
A total of $40,000 for the field renovations will be picked up by the Wayland Athletic Boosters Club and the school district will have to pay only $1,572.
The total cost for all three areas of the summer project has been set at $232,418. The amount budgeted for was $230,000.
This does not include additional plans for roof maintenance, replacing doors and a heat pump for the high school.
The board was told by Melching last fall that about $118,000 had been added to the fund balance for the 2014-15 fiscal year, bring its percentage of the budget up to between 7.7 and 7.8 percent. The fund balance at the end of the previous fiscal year was 7.34.
The school administration has been tasked by the board to add between a half to one percent to the fund balance each fiscal year.
The general fund budget set July 1 is for about $26.8 million with just over $2 million in the fund balance. The athletic budget is pegged at about $676,000 and revenue from the compact with the Gun Lake Casino has been estimated at just under $1.5 million.
