Sidney School Board approves 2015-'16 budget

The Sidney School District Board of Education unanimously passed a $17.9 million general budget for 2015-’16 earlier this week.

The vote was held after no comments were offered at a public hearing earlier in the meeting on Monday night.

In an interview, Superintendent Jay Ehler said overall, the district is in good financial shape.

“We have about that three month cash reserve that [the auditors] ask for, and we’ve stayed steady for past five or six years,” he said. “And that’s despite having to hire more staff because of more kids.”

As the district’s student enrollment has grown in previous years – echoing the overall population trend in Sidney – Ehler said a handful of teaching positions eliminated in 2008 have been replaced.

“We’re a growing district,” he explained. “Unless we’re just going to have more kids in the classes, we have to grow in people.”

At the end of August, the district had an enrollment of 1,380 students, which is an increase of 130 from three years ago.

In Nebraska, schools are funded largely through property taxes.

Ehler said budgeting decisions are made with taxpayers in mind.

“We’re always looking for ways to be smart with the money,” he said.

An outside firm audits the school district’s finances annually, he added.

“Every year we get audited to make sure the money is being spent correctly and that we’re following state guidelines,” Ehler explained. “There’s no stockpiling of money, and there’s not an abundance for us to use.”