Clovis school board approves budget

CLOVIS — The Clovis Municipal Schools Board of Education unanimously approved the budget for the upcoming school year at Tuesday's meeting.

Assistant Superintendent of Finance Shawna Russel said state-mandated raises to teachers' salaries added about $2 million to the budget, which will be made up in part through cuts to the district's maintenance, operations and technology budgets.

Russel said 75 percent of the total budget is spent inside the classroom either through direct instruction or other services for students.

Board member Paul Cordova was not in attendance.

Also at Tuesday's meeting (all votes 4-0):

• The board approved the instructional calendar for the 2019-20 school year, selecting May 16 for graduation and changing the final day of school from a full day to a half day.

• The board approved contracts with Adair, Inc. to provide school bus services at a cost of about $2.04 million and activity bus services at a cost of $11,767 for the upcoming school year.

• The board approved an agreement with Jaramillo Accounting Group to provide an audit of the 2017-18 school year.

• The board approved travel requests for the Clovis High School Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) trip to the FCCLA National Conference in Atlanta in June and the CHS band trip to the Bands of America Super Regional held in St. Louis in October.

Superintendent Jody Balch said that although the two groups were granted waivers this year for these trips, no waivers would be granted over the next two years in order to align with the district's policy that clubs are allotted one trip further than 600 miles once every three years.