Board president explains extra funding

Dear parents, guardians and community members, once again, I would like to thank you for passing the construction bond we ran in April.

Because the bond was approved, we received $4.2 million in state matching funds. Royal Middle School and Red Rock Elementary School were able to qualify for this funding due to increased student enrollment.

The state matching funds are based on the number of un-housed students. To determine un-housed students, the state created a formula that includes square footage of the building and the number of students occupying that building.

When planning the upcoming school year's budget, we reference past enrollment trends. These trends then help us determine the number of students that are projected to attend Royal School District. Enrollment for this school year grew so significantly that right before school started we needed to hire another kindergarten teacher.

We were elated when we were informed that we now qualify for approximately $3 million in additional funding for a total of $7.4 million from state match funds. Because of this increase, the board is considering adding two necessary classrooms for future growth.

When we ran the bond, we affirmed that any remaining funds, after the completion of the two projects, would be returned to the taxpayers to reduce the bond debt. Even with the additional classrooms, a significant amount of funding will still be returned to the community.

In other news, the construction of the new Intermediate School and the addition of four new classrooms at Royal High School are right on schedule. For more information on these projects, please visit the construction tab on our website at www.royal.wednet.edu. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact myself or any members of the Board of Directors.

Bob Murphy

Board President

(509) 750-2895