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Ray’s ROTC program is here to stay – at least for one more year. Parents and booster club members must help by fundraising for the program.
Following a two and half hour executive session, the Ray Unified School District Governing Board voted unanimously to make the necessary cuts to the budget that were discussed in the executive session. Board President, Brian Coleman explained to those in the audience that there would not be any programs cut at RUSD, however the board would still need the support of the community to fundraise to keep the ROTC program going, as well as fundraise for all programs including athletics and band.
The board did not elaborate on what cuts would be made to accommodate keeping the programs in place. President Coleman explained that those cuts would not be shared publicly until Superintendent Cook could inform the affected staff members. At a special board meeting in April, the board considered cutting the ROTC program due to the high costs and need to cut $110,000 from the 2015-16 budget.
During the call to the public, RUSD Parent Michael Hing suggested the possibility of Ray joining the Cobre Valley Institute of Technology. He asked the board to fund ROTC for one more year until an election could be held to join CVIT. He explained that Globe High School is able to run their ROTC program through CVIT. Parent Angela Gotto also explained that she was able to come up with additional fundraising plans to help fund the ROTC program.
Athletic Director Jeff Cude made a presentation to the board on the possibility of implementing a pay to play program for the athletics program. He explained that ticket sales at football, basketball and volleyball games are not generating enough revenue to cover the cost of hiring officials. In 2014-15 the district auxiliary fund for athletics was overspent by $6,000 due to the increasing costs of officials and lower ticket revenue. In the pay to play plan, families could utilize the Arizona Education Tax Credit to pay for their students athletics and see a reduced tax bill by using that option. The maximum a family would pay on the fee scale would be $400 and that would be for multiple athletes playing three sports each. The policy would also include a hardship clause for families that could not afford the pay to play fees.
The board also heard a presentation on the purchasing of a new phone system for district. Funds to purchase the phones will come from E-Rate funds that help schools and libraries buy technology and communication equipment such as phones, computers, and other hardware. The total cost of the phone system will be $42,422, E-Rate will fund $37,937 of that expenditure leaving the district to cover $9,484. The new phone system will improve the district phone system which will operate off the internet and will allow more phone lines into the district.
Copper Basin News will provide more details on the cuts made to the 2015-16 Budget once the affected staff has been notified. The RUSD Governing Board will convene a public hearing on the 2015-16 budget on Wednesday, May 27, at 6:30 p.m.
Mila Besich is a resident of Superior with two children. She volunteers for many local organizations. She is an experienced fundraiser and event planner for Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition. She covers some of the area town councils and schools.
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