Ripon Unified received a positive certification on the 2018-2019 proposed budget.
Trustees unanimously approved the $33.7 financial plan Monday but only after first giving their OK on the Local Control and Accountability Plan, which is a three-year plan to the Department of Educating describing the district's goals, action, services, and expenditures to support positive student outcomes addressing state and local priorities.
"The budget is not set in concrete," said RUSD's Chief of Operations Frank Jerome at the meeting held in the Council Chambers. "But it is a living document."
The positive certification was provided by auditors James Marta & Co. after their review of teh Associate Student Body account, attendance and tracking reporting, Federal compliance, Prop. 39 Clean Air Act, LCAP and the internal controls for cash, requistions, credit cards, to name a few, according to Jerome.
"The exit interview revealed no findings - just notes and suggestions," he added.
Jerome indicated that the proposed budget consisted of $27.7 million coming from the Local Control Funding Formula, about $1 million from federal revenues, $2.5 million from other state revenues, and $2.2 million coming from other local revenues.
Most of the general fund expenditures will go to teachers or cerificated salaries (about $14 million) while another $3 million or so will go to classified employees.
Another estimated $5 million will go towards benefits consisting of payroll taxes and health and welfare contributions.
Books and supplies (about $2 million) and other operating expenditures ($4.5 million) round out the bulk of the budget.
On top of that, RUSD was able to set aside 6 percent to go towards the reserve funds. "The state mandate is 3 percent (of the budget)," Jerome said.
The positive certification means that the district is able to meet its financial obligation this year along with the subsequent two fiscal years.
"Even with the positive certification we'll still have to be careful with our spending," said school board President Chad Huskey.
The budget was built on the best available information to date -- included here are Legislature budget proposals, Gov. Brown's May revision, enrollment and staffing projections, Jerome noted -- and could be subject of a revision no more 45 days after the enactment state budget.
