Cedar Falls School Board Passes $78 Million Budget, Sets Public Hearing for Robinson-Dresser Safe Room

The Cedar Falls School Board passed a $78.6 million budget for 2013-2014 Monday night, after no one commented at a public hearing.

The budget includes almost $23 million that needs to be raised through taxes. Cedar Falls property owners will actually see a 51-cent decrease in their taxes, with a rate of $12.87 per $1,000 of their home's assessed value.

Here's how the $78.6 million breaks down:

• General operating fund: $56.3 million
• Management fund: $794,967
• Physical plant and equipment levy: $3.8 million
• Capital projects fund: $11.7 million
• Nutrition fund: $2.3 million
• Student activity fund: $1.2 million
• Debt service fund: $2.2 million
• Fiduciary fund: $30,000

The school board also set April 22 as a public hearing on construction of a $1.3 million safe room at the Robinson-Dresser practice fields.

The safe room would be constructed through a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, in which FEMA would pay for $632,677 and the Cedar Falls School District would pick up the additional $590,048.

The room could be used as a storm shelter, with a capacity for 260 people. It could also be used as an indoor winter practice space.

"We’ve had a couple of near misses with storms the last few years at Robinson-Dresser," board secretary Doug Nefzger said. "There’s no place for kids to go when they’re practicing or playing if the wind comes up."

The board also:

• Approved use of two temporary classrooms for Orchard Hill Elementary.
• Approved adding air conditioning to 11 classrooms at Southdale Elementary, at a cost of almost $58,000.
• Approved a confidentiality agreement to keep the names of superintendent candidates confidential until finalists are chosen.