Category: General

School is closed today January 18, 2024 due to dangerous road conditions.

Christmas is a great time of year for faculty staff and students.  We all anxiously await the Christmas time festivities that we enjoy as a community, school, and family.  With the celebration of Christmas also comes the planning for a new year.  We are very grateful for the patrons that help support our school system.  With the new year in mind, I thought I would explain an element of the budgeting process that often we neglect to discuss. 

A school district is required to carry a contingency fund.  This fund varies from district to district, but Aberdeen School District has in policy that suggests 15% of the general fund should be available throughout the school year in a contingency fund. The district does reach that goal, but seldom carries the 15% throughout the year.  This amount is determined by following the best practices suggested by our auditor to our school board of trustees and Moody’s which is a firm that evaluates government entities and businesses to give them a credit rating.  The auditor suggests that the school have at least 2 months of payroll and expenditures held in the contingency fund.  Moody’s suggests that the district maintain a 15% fund balance.  Both entities along with the State of Idaho require certain procedures be followed when spending funds.  Checks must have a paper trail indicating how the funds were spent.

Each year the school district is audited by an independent auditor.  The auditor goes through our books to assure the trustees and the community that the funds coming into the school district are used in accordance with the law. The State of Idaho provides funds for the school district to operate, however sometimes the State will not pay the school district until the funds have been spent. This is one reason the school district tries to maintain the 15% contingency fund.  The district will use the contingency fund until they receive money back from the State.

Moody’s is another entity that looks at the financial health of the school district each year to determine the overall stability of the school district. When the public was asked to pass a bond, the interest rate was determined by the financial stability of the district as determined by Moody’s. 

The contingency fund varies because it is also used to pay for unexpected expenses such as our current roof repairs, boiler repairs and replacement of the siding on the old high school. When we present the budget to the public it reflects the funds at that specific time. Generally, it is the time that the funds have been recently sent to the school district from the state of Idaho and the funds have not yet been spent.  Fuel prices are a good example of how the budget can vary.  As prices go up for fuel our budget may not have planned for that increase and as fuel prices go down the same occurs. Utilities are another variable.  On cold years we spend more on utilities. The budget is the best guess we have of what to plan for during the upcoming school year.  The contingency fund is a safeguard that assures the public that the school district has planned for unforeseen circumstances.

The superintendent works very closely with the school board of trustees to assure the funds that are being used are in the best interest of the public.  The financial books are open for the public to review in the district office. Each month the school board is presented the bills that have been paid according to the budget and a spreadsheet that shows what percent of the budget has been spent and conversely what is available to spend.

As we end the year with the Christmas holidays, we begin to anticipate what the new year may bring. Our goal continues to be to maintain the funds to educate the students of Aberdeen School District in a safe environment with a well-rounded education.

Kindergarten Registration for the Fall Semester (2023-24) is now open, parents may now register during school hours from now through the end of the school year.  Your child must be 5 years old on or before 9/1/23 and please bring the Birth Certificate and immunization record OR sign an exemption form.

As the school year passes by, thanks goes to all those that support the schools during the year. Everyone has been working hard in academic, athletic, music, drama, and career & technical activities. Even the district office renovation is complete, and the wresting room and gymnasium are finished.  The old high school gym area has taken on a fresh new look.

Given the changes that have occurred, the Board of Trustees would like to invite everyone to visit the new facilities located at the old gym building during an “Open House” on February 24^th from 10:00-7:00. These renovations were done with the use of COVID-19 funds given by the federal government to help provide better seating for those with disabilities, better heating, cooling and ventilation and social distancing for student activities and for buildings to be brought up to code in various areas.  These renovations would not have been done without federal funding.

It is also time again to ask for support on the supplemental levy. This levy is requested every two years.  It is used for the general maintenance and operations of the school district.  The district will be asking for $950,000.  This amount has not changed. Items this money may be used for include technology, curriculum, supplies, busing, utilities, and salaries.  Currently this amount is approximately the amount the state does not pay for our classified personnel.  Classified personnel are those who work as secretaries, maintenance and custodians, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, and teacher assistants. These funds are also used to maintain our buildings.

Your funds have provided the school district the ability to make Aberdeen School District second to none.   We continue to have the best kept buildings in the nation.  We have great people working hard every day to make sure your tax dollars are used effectively. 

Our students and faculty are also recognized for what they do. Recently we had a student accepted to Stanford. Our sport teams, music programs, and career and technical programs are also doing very well.  Hard work and dedication are easily identified as you walk the hallways of our schools. 

Our goal is to provide Aberdeen the best school system in Idaho. Success is achieved only when everyone works together.  With that in mind, please vote for the supplemental levy on March 8^th. As we review the past and look forward to the future, Aberdeen School District is paving the way to excellence. Thank you for your continued support.

Happy New Year.  It is nice to have the students back in school.  This school year has proven to be very successful.  Student achievement is on the rise, and federal, “Covid”, funds have been available to build and maintain our schools to meet federal guidelines.  The district office has been moved into the old high school offices and new bleachers have been added to the old high school gym to meet ADA requirements.  The district plans on having an “Open House” on February 24^th for patrons to visit the old high school to see the improvements that have been made in the gym areas as well as the office areas.

Along with the new year comes inclement weather. During the winter months, everyone knows Idaho weather is difficult to predict especially during the months of January and February. Cold weather can be a challenge.  Parents are encouraged to check their phones for the “Reminder” that may be sent by building principals to announce school closures and other information that may need to be addressed. The school district will announce school closures on the KIDK 3, KPVI 6 and KIFI 8 TV stations. KLCE, KTHK, KZBQ, KID KSEI, KBear and KCVI radio stations will be used to announce school closures as well. Students should be dressed warmly during the winter months in case emergency conditions arise. Warm shoes or boots, hats and gloves should be worn each day during the winter months.

 It is always difficult to make the call to cancel school. The primary concern when trying to decide when to cancel school is safety.  Students, faculty and staff are our primary concern during winter months when weather conditions could end up hazardous.  Before canceling school, the bus supervisor is in contact with the county to see if the snowplows can maintain the roads in a safe manner.  If roads can be maintained, school will be in session.  If however the bus drivers, the bus & maintenance supervisors, or a patron identifies areas that may be unsafe to travel, The bus supervisor and the superintendent will again look at options before opening school that day.

It is always the parents’ option to keep their children home during those “extreme weather” days.  Parents are encouraged to watch for the bus and refrain from leaving students alone on those days that may be challenging for the buses to travel on the outlying roads. The district will make every effort to contact parents when there are weather related problems, but if the buses have not arrived within 15 minutes of the normally scheduled time, it would be wise to assume the buses will not be arriving at your bus stop that day. Parents, in that case, would be encouraged to bring the students to the nearest operational bus stop or bring them to school themselves, if possible.

As a district we will strive to provide each child an excellent and safe education throughout the school year.

-Jane Ward

This is a tentative calendar if the school district should decide to
change to a 4-day week. Some items to notice are:
—  Students will begin class a 8:00.  The elementary school will dismiss
at 3:25 and the secondary schools will dismiss at 3:30.
—  Students WILL attend 5 days until Harvest Break begins.  Fridays WILL
NOT be early out  on the 5 day schedule before harvest.
—  Outreach programs may be developed on Fridays to help students that
are not making academic progress .
—  Spring Break will only be  Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
—  There will only be 2 weeks Harvest Break.

It took a village! Thanks goes to everyone who supported the school district as we worked to serve the students attending Aberdeen School District. Students have almost completed a full year of school during the Covid-19 Pandemic.  While some students attended classes via the Internet, many students attended physically.  Illness did occur, but through it all, the faculty, staff, and students worked through the issues victoriously with the help from their parents and family members.

From the beginning of the pandemic, all faculty and staff working at Aberdeen School District physically attended work each day.  The buildings were sanitized each day, breakfast and lunch was taken to students that signed up for delivery each day. Weekly assignment packets were prepared for students to take home if students didn’t have the Internet at home. Faculty members learned how to teach remotely in a very short period of time.  Parents and students also needed to learn how to access classroom instruction through their personal computers. All in all, it was a work in progress, but through the help of families and educators our students received academic instruction each day.

Although academics was our main emphasis during the pandemic, we understand that development of the full child is very important.  Extra-curricular activities needed to be provided.  Again, with the help of community members, faculty and staff, Aberdeen School District found a way to serve our students.  A special thanks goes to a dedicated school board that worked tirelessly trying to provide the needs of the individual student while keeping compliant with the mandates of the new federal and state laws. Every meeting with the school board focused on what was best for the students of the district. Personal and political feelings had to be set aside to assure the students were served in the best way possible.  Yes, it took a village and together the students of Aberdeen School District received the best education possible during the most trying of times.