What’s the best use of Middleburgh Central School’s $3.3 million fund balance?
Adding to its repair reserve?
Tennis courts and painting?
Free breakfast and lunch for all students?
That’s the question Superintendent Mark Place asked Wednesday.
MCS has $2.4 million in its allocated fund balance—money already set aside for things like employee benefits, retirement contributions, unemployment insurance and repairs.
But MCSD also has $3.3 million in the fund balance that’s “unassigned,” money it hasn’t touched in three years, Mr. Place said.
Rather than letting it sit there, he suggested a number of places it could be put to better use.
One possibility, he said, is adding to the $275,000 repair reserve.
“Considering the district’s history with flooding, should this be increased?” he asked,
Other projects could include things the state doesn’t reimburse for: tennis courts, playground upgrades, paving the parking lot, a bus lift, and painting the High School.
MCS could also upgrade its security systems or fund a plan for regularly replacing things like science equipment, musical instruments, laptops, and sports uniforms.
Finally, Mr. Place said, they could extend their free breakfast and lunch program, set to expire in October, indefinitely.
Though Mr. Place said he expects to keep adding to the unallocated fund balance, school board members were reluctant to spend from it.
“We’ve always kept a healthy fund balance for the unexpected,” said President Pam Standhart.
Board member Becky Binder asked if they could make just breakfast or lunch free or whether they could agree to fund both through the end of the year.
Mr. Place said yes to just one meal, but said there’s “No vote for the board to take” on the spending since it’s already allocated in the budget.
Another board member, Scott Van Buren, pointed out the district—like most—gets “dinged” every year by the state over what’s in the fund balance.
“I think we’ve either got to spend that on our kids or give it back,” he said. “That 14 percent comes up every year at audit time. I think we should be looking at all of these items. We either have to give it back or spend it.”
The school board and Mr. Place agreed to extend the free meals through the end of October.
They’ll decide at their meeting October 19 whether to extend it further.