The Hutchinson School Board Monday held a public hearing on the 2013-14 budget, with virtually no comments from the public. They then voted 6-0 to approve the budget.
The budget moves the general fund legal maximum spending of around $30.915 million. The budget doesn’t includes any new money in the base state aid per pupil. Base state aid per pupil is at 3-thousand, 838-dollars.
Overall, the estimated tax rate for the 2013-14 school year for district taxpayers will be 60.619 mills or 4.439 mills higher than this past year.
Also during Monday’s meeting, David T. Patterson, director of the Hutchinson Career and Technical Education Academy gave his annual report to the board. A year ago, the board formally adopted Common Core State Standards. Those standards have been adopted by Kansas as College and Career Ready.
While College and Career Ready culminates at Hutchinson High School, Superintendent Shelly Kiblinger told staff during the annual back-to-school convocation on Aug. 8 that all staff members – from those working with pre-school students to high school – play a role in the success of making students college and career ready.
An estimated 90-percent of jobs high school graduates will fill in the future are expected to require some training or certification beyond high school. A number of such certifications can be completed prior to graduating from Hutch High through the Career and Technical Education Academy.