Arlington and Lakeland school districts now have a new interlocal agreement in place, as of Monday night.
That gives Lakeland’s older students a place to attend classes until their district can build its own high school. The agreement also spells out how Lakeland’s middle-school students will continue to be educated until the new Lakeland Middle Preparatory School (LMPS) is open in August 2017.
Ending the old agreement will cost Lakeland almost $200,000 in early termination fees, per the original agreement between the districts. The cost will be $99,955.13 annually for two years.
The first amount is due to Arlington Community Schools no later than July 1, 2017. The second is due by July 1, 2018.
ACS approved terminating the old agreement and accepting the new one at a special April 6 meeting. The Lakeland School System also gave approval at the April 11 meeting.
Lakeland Superintendent Dr. Ted Horrell said his primary goal was to be sure the district had outstanding educational opportunities for all Lakeland students in grades K-12.
“It has been a pleasure to work with Ms. Mason on this agreement and work with Chris Patterson and Arlington’s counsel,” he said.
Tammy Mason is the ACS superintendent, and Patterson has served as the LSS district’s attorney.
Read the full six-page agreement online at bit.ly/new_ILA.
Horrell said construction on LPMS is making progress. He expects that the construction documents can be sent to the fire marshall for approval on April 18. Horrell also said construction should begin in late May or no later than June 1.
Budget approval
The school board also approved the proposed 2016-17 school district budget.
The budget is based on anticipated enrollment of 910 students, up from the current year’s 850.
The enrollment bump means revenue increases of $446,838. That doesn’t yet include the governor’s proposed funding enhancement, which would give LSS about $150,000 extra.
Budget highlights include:
- Maintenance of the salary schedule with step increases.
- Maintenance of the current central office and school staffing, with some exceptions. One is the addition of a new LMPS principal and assistant principal. They will work through the year to prepare for and open the new school in 2017. The expected expenditure is $239,554, including about $5,000 in supplies and equipment.
- Increase of teaching positions from 49 to 52 while adding only $73,402 to the budget. This is possible at this relatively low cost because some of the district’s higher-paid veteran teachers have left.
- Added $29,420 for strategic compensation for teacher performance.
- A one-time “move up” to reward teachers who acquire advanced degrees. The anticipated expense is $17,518.
- Increase the number of regular education assistants from three to six. The expected cost is $57,279.
- Move from a part-time to a full-time school nurse. The expected cost is $24,440.
- Make the first of two nearly $100,000 annual payments to ACS for early termination of the first interlocal agreement.
Horrell summarized the proposed budget by noting that the total request from the fund balance is $339,671.
The fund balance at the end of last school year, according to the district’s audit, was $621,394.
Horrell said a firm number is not yet available for this school year, but he said it will be a “healthy six-figure number.”
See the budget on the district’s website at bit.ly/LSS-2016-17-budget-proposal.
Horrell noted that he anticipates additional expenditures will be needed before July 1 when additional student revenue comes in. That will include school utilities, perhaps the hiring of a plant manager, and one or two months of school custodial services.
Other business
In other business at the April 11 meeting, the LSS board:
- Agreed for Horrell to begin discussions with Lakeland City Manager Jim Atkinson on the city’s suggestion for park improvements. City leaders have discussed how to use park lands adjacent to LMPS for ball fields and practice fields. One suggestion was to work with the school district to use some of the district’s undeveloped property for additional field space, allowing enough fields for tournaments. Horrell emphasized that these are preliminary discussions at the city’s request, and topics may (for example) include options such as a joint development, a lease agreement or other options.
- Approved a contract with the district’s new legal counsel of Burch, Porter & Johnson. The board commended former school board attorney Christ Patterson for his work and wished him well. Read the three-page contract, including payment terms, online at bit.ly/LSS-counsel.
- Approved an E-Rate contract for network infrastructure. Horrell explained that this is part of an annual E-Rate process (the federal subsidy for electronic communication in schools). The successful respondent to the request for proposals (RFPs) was Central Knox Inc., also known as Central Knox Technologies.
- Approved the district’s 2017-18 calendar.
- Approved the facilities rental agreement.
- Welcomed the district’s accountant, Jessie Rosales, as the district’s new certified municipal recorder for meeting minutes and agendas. Former recorder and administrative assistant, Linda Milhouse, is moving, and her last day with the district is April 22.
- Welcomed Carrie Bawolek as the district’s new administrative assistant.
- Approved a timeline for the superintendent’s annual job evaluation.
- Approved a timeline for the school board’s annual self-evaluation.
Written by Carolyn Bahm, Express editor. Contact her at (901) 433-9138 or via email to bartlett.editor@journalinc.com.
