Bangor School Board talks budget and planning

Note and correction: In the April 25 edition of the Monroe County Herald, the Herald reported on a Bangor School Board meeting that happened a year ago, via the Bangor School District YouTube page. The Herald accidentally watched the wrong meeting. The Herald regrets the error and the corrected article from the April 20 Bangor School Board is here below.

On April 20, the Bangor School Board met to discuss the next school year’s annual budget for the district, along with other topics of discussion.

The Student Union reported that the National Honors Society at Bangor High School held a food drive with a great turnout. 30 band and choir students from Bangor got the opportunity to go to New Orleans, LA for a trip that included museums and other tourist attractions. Trevor Horstman recently shot a perfect 50 in trap shooting. May 29 is the graduation ceremony.

Kevin Hickman from Nexus Solutions, had a brief update regarding a long term facilities study. On May 2^nd the board will have a workshop to have a question and answer session with Nexus. Hickman said, “the next few weeks are very important to the process.” The staff, Buildings and Grounds Committee, School Board and the public will all have input on the facilities study. The community engagement session will be on June 6 at 5:30p.m.

Michael Johnson, Bangor Elementary principal talked about after school programs for 2022-23 school year. Johnson said, “it’s a small number of families we would be accommodating, however it is still families of the district.” The district has been in talks with the La Crosse Area Boys and Girls Club. There is a Boys and Girls Club in West Salem, which the district could look to transport kids there. Johnson also stated that, “it has come up in conversation of a Boys and Girls Club in Bangor. Or we could look at establishing and staffing our own program. There are challenges and expenses to both scenarios.” Dr. David Brokopp, District Administrator added, the district will have listening sessions with the public to discuss and assess the level needed.

Regarding the 2022-23 budget Brokopp said inflation and CPI (Consumer Price Index) is at 4.7% this year, which is what the district goes off of for salary raises. Our revenues may increase by 1% if we maintain enrollment. A 1% increase is not enough to cover a 4.7% increase to a base salary of $36,000. Brokopp said, “it’s a matter of finding a balance of financial responsibility and sustainability of the district while also taking care of the people that make our organization run.” The estimated cost increases total around $300,000. Brokopp says, “with some reductions, ESSER funds, salaries and deferred maintenance we should be able to make everything work to finalize our budget.

Some action items presented by Brokopp included an overall reduction of 1 position and a decrease in staffing costs, a change to the insurance plan in the district, new sidewalk for FFA lot, flooring replacement and the purchase of ten digital classroom boards.