ISHPEMING — The NICE Community Schools Board of Education on Monday approved proposed budgets for the 2019-20 school year.

For the general fund budget, 18 mills will be levied on all taxable property except principal residences and other property exempted by law. For the sinking fund budget, 1.7415 mills will be levied on all taxable property.

A mill is $1 on each $1,000 of taxable value.

The 2019-20 budget calls for revenues of about $13.895 million and expenditures of about $13.867 million, with an ending fund balance of approximately $1.059 million.

However, things are a little up in the air this year.

The Associated Press recently reported the Michigan Legislature is scheduled to have tentative session days in July and August while talks continue on road funding and the budget.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s education plan would pump about 3.5% more into the K-12 budget. However, Whitmer is facing resistance from Republican legislative leaders over the next state budget. So, it appears school districts won’t know their state funding by July 1, which is the start of their fiscal years.

“I budgeted the most conservative proposal, which came out of the Michigan House,” said NICE Superintendent Bryan DeAugustine. “The Senate proposal is a little higher, and the governor’s proposal is even a little higher than that, so we went with the smallest one. We don’t want to overestimate.”

The school district also just settled two union contracts for three years each for the teachers and support staff.

The teachers’ contract, DeAugustine said, includes a 2.25% raise for the 2019-20 school year with some variations, with steps and lanes — the “bumps” in pay they receive as they gain experience and education — preserved.

Support staff will receive a raise of 50 cents per hour for all wages across the board.

“Both groups were easy to work with,” DeAugustine said, “and we’re quite happy.”

He also pointed out 85% of the district’s expenditures go toward personnel — “just like any school.”

DeAugustine said the district is proud of its ratio of one adult for every eight kids, which translates to one teacher for every 14 students.

“We re-invest our money into our personnel,” he said, “because we’re a human-interaction business. We put adults in front of kids and we try to help them learn and achieve to the best of their abilities.”

Another item of note, he said, is the district’s debt retirement fund.

“We’ve paid off Aspen Ridge, so that 1.10-mill collection will go away, so our constituents will see their taxes go down,” DeAugustine said.

Aspen Ridge School was built in 1997, he said.

DeAugustine expressed his appreciation for the community support regarding the sinking fund millage, which is expected to bring in revenues of just over $800,000 during the next school year.

“It allows us to beautify our buildings and campus and keep everything running year in and year out,” said DeAugustine, who noted sinking fund money keeps more dollars in the general fund to benefit classrooms.

Christie Bleck can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.