By SARAH THOMACK

St. Joseph Post

This week, the St. Joseph School District Board of Education approved the budget for Fiscal Year 2020. 

Board President Seth Wright said revenues exceeded spending this year and the board approved approximately $126 million in operating expenses.

“That’s in large measure thanks to the community that approved the… 61 cent levy back in April, so that certainly made things easier to budget,” Wright said. “But we also have a duty to make sure we are doing what we told the public we would do and that was increasing teacher salaries, providing security upgrades at our schools and then looking to address some of the operational needs that we have.”

Board member Tami Pasley said in past years, approving the budget was a different experience.

“To approve a budget like this was amazing because on the time that I’ve been on the board, we’ve always fought budget issues and not had the money,” Pasley said. “So to actually have the money to budget for what we need to meet the needs of our kids and then to have even that little bit of an excess knowing that, if a need arises we’ll be able to fulfill it, was a really good feeling.”

Click here to view the budget document. Also on the School District’s website, the full meeting and the Proposition 2 Progress Report are available to view.