The Miami Trace Local Schools Board of Education honored the eighth grade volleyball team and discussed the district’s five-year financial forecast during Monday evening’s meeting.
The meeting began with the “Winner’s Circle” presentation. During the season, the Miami Trace Middle School girls’ eighth grade volleyball team ended the season with an undefeated record and claimed the Frontier Athletic Conference championship. Sporting shirts proclaiming their victory, the girls and their coach gathered at the district office to receive a commendation from the board and take a photo.
Also discussed was the district’s five-year financial forecast, as presented by treasurer Debbie Black. Within the forecast — which is available to the public — the district displays various revenue streams and expenses while also showing its overall impact on the future of the district’s finances until the fiscal year 2023. The document shows the amount of revenue gained from property tax, state and federal grants, income tax and other sources over the last few years. The document also shows estimates of future money to be received.
Additionally, the document shows various expenses that need to be planned into the future, including personal services, insurance and retirement benefits, supplies and materials and more. Despite many aspects to consider, the district is “financially strong” according to Black and Miami Trace Superintendent David Lewis.
“The forecast was a big part of our meeting,” Lewis said on Tuesday. “We continue to be in a solid financial position as a district. We also had reports from around the district. There was a lot of information, a lot of things are going on throughout the buildings and the district as a whole. They shared some important dates and initiatives going on in various buildings, and we even received an update on the high school project.”
According to Lewis, the district will announce the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony date for the new high school in the coming weeks. He said, right now, they are taking the updates and situation week-by-week and day-by-day — this includes use as it pertains to the upcoming basketball season that was considered to be held in the new gymnasium at the new high school.
“Right now we will probably start the basketball season in the old gym until we know for sure that we are ready to go, that everything is operative and we know how to work everything and we are ready to bring the public in,” Lewis said. “As of right now that may or may not be before the dedication and ribbon cutting. They are putting the bleachers in, the gym floor is down and has been sanded and sealed with two layers. Once the bleachers are done they will do the floor striping, put down the logos and then put another sealer on the floor. Then there are the graphics that will go on the wall and the video board to handle, but it is moving pretty well. We have two months and we are still on track to get students in there on January 2. I don’t think that will be a problem, but until then we are taking it one day at a time. We are fortunate to be able to use the old gym for games, and in a perfect world we were hoping to not have to do that, but we wanted to make sure (the new gym) is right and ready to go to bring the kids and community in there.”
Finally, during the meeting, 17 coaches were approved for the 2018-19 school year, and two field trips — one at the high school and one at the middle school — were also approved.
Stay with the Record-Herald for more coverage of the Miami Trace Local Schools Board of Education.
Reach Martin Graham at (740) 313-0351 or on Twitter @MartiTheNewsGuy.
