By EMILY BEHLMANN

ebehlmann@gctelegram.com

By the end of Monday's meeting, the USD 457 Board of Education likely will be ready to publish a proposed budget that would be up for final approval at a hearing Aug. 11.

If board members go with the proposal presented July 14 by USD 457 Financial Officer Kathleen Whitley, they'll seek a slight drop in the mill levy residents pay toward the school district.

Whitley's proposal would set the mill levy at 36.14 mills for the 2008-09 fiscal year -- down from 36.54 mills for 2007-08.

For homeowners, that would mean paying $36.14 for each $1,000 in assessed valuation on their home. The owner of a $100,000 home would have an assessed valuation of $11,500, so would pay $415.61 toward the school district for the year. That's down $4.60 from the $420.21 that homeowner would have paid for 2007-08.

A reduction in the local tax rate is possible mostly because the state funding USD 457 will receive for the coming year. Because of a state plan to increase regular per-pupil spending and allotments for low-income and special education students, the total general fund for USD 457 is expected to increase by $2,113,383, Whitley said. The increase brings the fund to $49,352,146.

That, along with an anticipated increase in the school district's assessed valuation -- from $304,228,981 last year to $323,968,572 this year -- would allow for a mill levy decrease, even though USD 457 plans to spend about $2.5 million more next year, according to Whitley.

She said major changes in expenses for 2008-09 included a 5-percent increase to the amount USD 457 spends on salaries for teachers, administrators and classified staff -- their actual raises vary based on their positions on the salary schedule and other factors -- and higher payments for health insurance. USD 457 plans to continue covering employees' full, single health insurance policies, and those Blue Cross and Blue Shield rates increased by 15 percent, or about $85 per monthly premium, she told the board at its last meeting.

The district also added three days to educators' contracts for 2008-09, bringing the school year to a total of 184.5 days. In addition, Whitley said, she boosted the budgets for fuel and utilities to cover expected expenses. The gas and electricity line items each were increased by 20 percent from the past year's expenditures, bringing them to $473,000 and $1,175,000, respectively, and the motor fuel budget was increased by 40 percent, to $205,200.

In other business on Monday, the board will continue discussion on goals for the 2008-09 school year. The proposed goals cover areas of raising academic standards, managing district resources, improving communication, providing a safe learning environment and implementing a long-range facility plan.

In addition, Buffalo Broadcasting System teacher Shelby McNutt and welding teacher Don Murrell, both of Garden City High School, plan to deliver a presentation on how "learning communities" could be established at a new high school.

Construction of a new high school to replace the current GCHS is part of a facility plan that would be implemented if voters approve a bond issue scheduled to be on November's ballot.

Superintendent Rick Atha said the new school would include communities that group students by area of interest, so they would stick with the same group of peers and teachers for most of their classes.

Also on the agenda, the board will be asked to approve the following:

n Removal of "Pierceville" from the name of Pierceville-Plymell Elementary School. Atha said parents from the school have requested the change, saying the current name is confusing since the school is actually located in Plymell. No one has come forward with objections to the idea, which was raised at the board's previous meeting, he said.

n Purchase of a standby electric power generator system from Central Power Systems & Services, Liberal, for $47,223; Epson classroom projectors from Electronic Video Systems, Springfield., Mo., for $53,985; Flip-It computer workstations from SmartDesks Inc., Columbia, Md., for $10,115; mobile laptop computer charging carts and batteries from EarthWalk Communications, Manassas, Va., for $8,318; and a Video Toaster for broadcasting department video editing from Wink Audio/Visual, Hutchinson, for $10,680.

n An agreement with Weathercraft Roofing, Garden City, to replace the roof of Jennie Wilson Elementary School for $206,698.

n An agreement with D.V. Douglass Roofing Inc., Garden City, for roof repair and replacement at buildings district-wide, for a total cost of $427,578.