The Heartland AEA Board of Directors met for its regular board meeting on January 12.
An amendment was made to the agenda to include an update on the board goals, the AESA conference and the AEA governing board meeting. The recognition for Superintendent Dennis Wulf was also rescheduled for February.
No one was present to speak at the public hearing regarding the 2010-11 proposed budget or the public forum.
Discussion Items
Board Goals
Dr. Jane Bell reviewed the goals developed by board members. It was agreed that the following goals would remain in place until 2011.
Goal 1: To be responsible employers.
Goal 2: To be fiscally responsible and accountable.
Goal 3: To continue Heartland’s transformation.
Goal 4: To advocate for a unified state AEA system.
2008-09 Audit
Mr. John Pittman with Pittman and Company, LLP reviewed the results of the Agency’s 2008-09 audit. Mr. Pittman met with the Board Audit Committee who reviewed and approved the findings. The results of the audit indicate that the Agency is in-line with general accounting principles and standards, and it has been given an unqualified clean audit opinion of its financial statements.
Amended 2009-10 Budget and Proposed Budget for 2010-11
Mr. David King updated the Board on the 2009-10 amended budget and discussed concerns about the FY 2010-11 budget. The recent budget cuts have been disappointing and have caused the Agency to review its resources as they become more limited. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, together with $850,000 from fund balance, is budgeted each of the next two years to cover gaps in the budget. The Agency will not be able to maintain a 5 percent fund balance during these times of budget shortfalls. Since there the Agency has no taxing authority, it will have to settle on a lower percentage balance for the next several years.
As the Agency moves into FY 2011-12, it is anticipated that additional continued funding reductions will result in dramatic challenges and changes for the Agency. Based on the State’s financial condition, it is expected that the Agency will not receive full funding for the next few years and ARRA funds will be consumed. It will also be harder to make more non-personnel cuts in the future beyond what is already being done. The District Services Council is meeting every week to review how services can be made more efficient and will move quickly to act on these challenges.
Action Items
Technology Server Bunker
The Board approved the construction of the technology server bunker pending final approval from the Department of Education. Contracts were approved from Brocon Services LLC in the amount of $148,000 for general construction and Wolin Electric LC in the amount of $15,769 for electrical contracting.
Board Comments
Dr. Earl Bridgewater shared that he heard numerous compliments regarding Ms. Sheila King’s role as interim chief administrator at the December AESA Conference. He spoke with other AEA chief administrators who were very complimentary of the work Ms. King has been performing at Heartland.
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