Homeowners in De Soto USD 232 will pay a higher tax rate to the school district this coming year.

The De Soto USD 232 Board of Education Monday approved 5-0 the 2008-09 budget, which includes a 2.5 mill increase to the levy. Board members Don Clark and Randy Johnson were absent from the meeting.

The approved budget includes $95 million in expenditures, about $16 million more than last year's budget. Finance director Ken Larsen said the district would need a levy of 74.018 mills to support the 2008-09 budget.

A mill is equal to $1 in taxes for every $1,000 in assessed property valuation. The owner of a $200,000 home will pay about $1,656.41 to the district next year. That is about $60 more than the owner of a $200,000 home paid this year. Larsen said 1 mill in the De Soto school district would bring in about $398,113, which largely will be paid for by residential property owners as the district's boundary lines include mostly bedroom communities.

Larsen said increases to the mill levy were largely due to bond and interest, which pays for past school bond issues. The bond and interest levy increased 3 mills for the 2008-09 budget.

However, the entire 3 mill increase to the bond and interest mill levy won't be passed on to taxpayers. The district was able to cut the mill levy rate for extraordinary growth from 6.2 mills to 4.9 mills.

No patrons spoke during the budget hearing that preceded the regular board meeting Monday.

In other business, the board:

¢ Authorized the administration to participate in a fuel hedging program with Constellation NewEnergy. The move gives district operations director Jack Deyoe the authority to lock in a percentage of the district's fuel purchases at a certain cost, and if locked in at a lower price, would save the district money. Deyoe said he would not enter into the fuel-hedging program until diesel fuel dipped to a lower cost, which he said could happen in the fall if there are no major hurricanes.

¢ Failed to meet quorom with a 3-2 vote on a bid by Progressive Electronics for $28,306 to upgrade the sound systems at the Mill Valley High School football and soccer complexes. Board members Tim Blankenship and Bill Fletcher dissented. Facilities director Denis Johnson said the sound system was on district's capital outlay projects for about three years, and he said he didn't initially seek approval from the board to go out to bid for the sound system upgrades because he estimated the projects would cost less than $20,000. When he received two bids that both exceeded $20,000, Johnson said he thought he should bring the project to the board for approval. Board members Blankenship and Fletcher said they didn't support spending money on a sound system when the district had other needs.

"I am not willing to vote on this because I am not sure that the district is in a financial situation to spend money on these sorts of things," Blankenship said.

Board president Larry Meyer said the sound system at Mill Valley's soccer field was no good, and said sometimes the national anthem wasn't identifiable, and the crowd also couldn't hear the announcements.

¢ Approved 5-0 the purchase of two 2008 Chevrolet Uplander seven-passenger vans at $19,800 each. Operations director Jack Deyoe said the vans, which would arrive in a couple weeks, would replace two district vans that needed to be retired from student transportation use.

¢ Named Guy Mallozzi of De Soto and Cheryl Coonrod of Shawnee the district patrons who would serve on board's committee that will select architecture firms to possibly complete projects in the upcoming bond issue. The committee will meet Sept. 4 and select a small group of finalists to bring to the board. The board will make the final decision.

¢ Approved 5-0 paying the minimum hourly wage plus applicable overtime of no less than $11.75 per hour for extra duties, coaching or sponsorship to classified employees. If an employee's wage exceeds $11.75 per hour the higher amount will be paid. The move helps the district comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act.

¢ Set a special meeting for board goal-setting at 6 p.m. Aug. 21 at the District Administrative Center, 35200 W. 91st St., De Soto.

¢ Learned that informational materials for the Nov. 4 bond referendum would cost $15,000 or less. Community meetings on the bond issue would likely take place in late September or early to mid-October, Superintendent Sharon Zoellner said.