BROOKINGS – The Brookings School Board approved a nearly $81.8 million budget for the 2018-2019 school year on Monday night and the opening of construction bids for Mickelson Middle School. 

Board member Debra DeBates was absent.

Business Manager Brian Lueders asked the board to approve an amendment, reducing the amount of money transferred from the capital outlay and pension funds. He originally had planned to transfer $361,205, but reduced it to $211,205, a difference of $150,000. 

Lueders said the expenses of the general fund were greater than the revenue and needed that transfer from capital outlay to balance the general fund out at $23,327,755. The school district is required by law to have a balanced budget. 

“We utilize the capital outlay as a funding mechanism within the general fund. It’s a funding source that we’ve used for quite a number of years now in the district,” said Superintendent Klint Willert, adding the state allows that flexibility.

Lueders predicted a healthy carryover in the capital outlay fund and suggested it could be used for renovations at Medary and Hillcrest schools in the future.

Lueders also mentioned the district has to pay down the $200,000 in the pension fund and suggested one possible use could be to purchase middle school food service equipment. 

“Pension fund – by state law, that’s to sunset by 2020, so we need to spend down that fund balance to be in compliance with state law because the pension fund is a fund that no longer exists with the funding formula changes that occurred,” Willert said.

The board approved the budget by a 4-0 vote.

The 2018-2019 school year is just days away from starting on Aug. 24, but Willert is already planning for the 2019-2020 school year with construction that will start soon.

A bid opening is set for 2 p.m. Thursday at the school district office. The project is the gravel parking lot north of Mickelson Middle School. Construction work will begin Sept. 4. That gravel lot will be used by the staff beginning Oct. 9 through the school year because construction on the MMS south addition will start Oct. 9.

“That’s when the student access through that main entry will change,” Willert said.

It will be a challenge since most of the 796 students projected to attend the middle school this year are picked up and dropped off by parents, Willert said. 

“Site administrators are working very hard to ensure that we have adequate traffic flow and really to protect the safety and security of the students as they go to and from the school site,” Willert said.

The addition will “significantly” change the front of the school and create more classrooms.

The addition is necessary, Willert said, because of an anticipated 323 students going into sixth grade in the 2019-2020 school year.

“The 2019-20 school year is where we see a huge jump to just about 849 (total students),” Willert said.

“That’s a really big class. That’s why we’re adding on. And that’s why it said the fall of ’19 the doors open,” Willert said.

Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.