EVANSTON — The Uinta County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees held its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 4, during which the agenda included a preliminary overview of next school year’s budget, as well as approving the annual agreement with the Evanston Parks and Recreation District and the staff development and parent/teacher conference schedule for the coming school year. 

Superintendent Ryan Thomas spoke briefly about the budget process for the upcoming school year. Thomas said school district budgeting is an extremely complex process with multiple funding mechanisms and multiple different expenditure areas. Details on the 2019-2020 budget are available online at the district’s website for public inspection prior to the annual budget meeting scheduled for Wednesday, July 17. 

Thomas said the district’s budget is healthy and balanced. The district has approximately $5.5 million in reserves, which constitutes about 13.5 percent of the district’s annual expenditures. Thomas said that percentage is right where the district wants to be because Wyoming state law only allows a district to have up to 15 percent before funds above that amount must be returned to the state. 

Thomas said it’s possible for some one-time purchases to be coming out of the reserves prior to the beginning of the new budget year on July 1, including computers for teachers and renovations at the high school; however, it is anticipated those purchases would only come to about $100,000. 

Board chair Jami Brackin said the budget is such that staffing cuts will not need to be made for the next school year, which is an improvement over the past few years. District enrollment is up and that has resulted in a better financial outlook overall. 

Marilee Jackson, chief financial officer of the Evanston Parks and Recreation District, approached the board and asked for approval of the annual budget and operating agreement. Jackson said the agreement between EPRD and the school district has been in place since 1986. “When the recreation district was first established, systems were put in place to guarantee the doors are always open,” she said. 

The agreement Jackson referenced is between the school district, the City of Evanston and EPRD. The district approves 1 mill levy to go toward EPRD, amounting to approximately $245,000 at the present time. The partners share use of facilities, with EPRD providing free use to the school district and vice versa. 

“We love this partnership,” said Jackson. “Our goal is to get kids to play.” 

Trustees approved the annual agreement renewal. 

In other business, trustees approved the parent/teacher conference and staff development schedule for the upcoming school year. Staff development will continue to occur on the delayed-start Mondays. Elementary parent/teacher conferences will occur twice a year, with both evening and morning times scheduled to allow for teacher flexibility and to accommodate parents. 

The middle schools and high schools will have four parent/teacher conference dates scheduled, which will continue as “arena style” events in the school common areas and/or gymnasiums. The secondary schools have typically also offered an opportunity for individual scheduled conferences when requested.