So that's that's that piece um kind of on the revenue piece. So um finances what are some action steps in process? I know we we as a board have talked about this um for a few months now and and different things that we're already currently doing. Um because this is not just a you just change one little thing and you're like, "Oh, problem solved." Um it it is looking at anything and everything we do. And I and I met with our administrators um it's probably been a month ago now, but um was using an example of a maintenance contract that we had on on our lifts um lifts elevators. Um, it was a contract from 2008. It's only $475 a year, but again, we're looking at that level because again, there's not the one magic thing you're just looking for to try to cut that much money.
Um, we all got hit. And so when you see vans sitting in a parking lot not doing anything, you wonder like, is there another way? Could GCC be using them? Could FRTA be using them? The Senior Center be using them? You just wonder. And then you see a a van that's only got, and I'm a Honda girl, so you see a Honda that's only got 20,000 miles on it needing repairs because it's just sitting somewhere. um you know >> well that's certainly >> you know don't get me wrong I mean these things get done you know I I we were talking about it earlier and it's like the vehicles that we use for the transportation even though I understand they're sitting there also time >> you know nobody's leaving school you know so um there would be a reason why they would be sitting there at this whether or not they could be used elsewhere there are some legal items are have the school bus signs on the school busy on it that I know and because we tried to do that our buses for private things and time state police said that it is not appropriate for anything other than 70 transportation etc.
That is because we have got reimbursed um for with the bond money and so the bills that we had to pay came out of operations and we were just able to transfer that money over to be able to pay for that. Um so so that's why you see that transfer in and transfer out. And the other thing I I will always keep reminding the board to um take a look at is that self- insurance fund. And um you remember from December when we had this finance report, it was 573 11103 and now we're at 6115. Um that's just a number we we want to keep an eye on and a target um to look at. So it goes up, it's good. Okay. So if you remember also from December, we took a look at operations. Um, this came out of an opportunity that that Megan and and I looked at trying to find a way to be able to categorize expenses on a monthly basis that was easy to digest and and give the board and the public an idea of, hey, what is it costing for trash or utilities or uh whatever it may be in in a month's given time.
As of um after school today, we have 46 auction items that have been donated. So, there will be a silent auction that night um and just some really cool things. And our our salt team's involved with helping raise some funds. Um, and then we have the sectional team that Reed played on. Some of those members are coming back to help. So, it's a really big night. Um, a lot of people will be involved for a really good cause. So, if you could come, that would be great. >> Um, in addition to athletics, we've got a lot going on tomorrow night. The annual FFA fish and chin wine dinner in the cafeteria from 4:00 to 7. So, if you're available, make sure you stop by there. Um, we had two of our choir students earn gold medals at their ISMA contest, which qualified them to advance to state.
And so, um, these are things we're already doing. We're reducing custodial expenses by eliminating custodial services to the district office. Um, changing up the way we do it in the high school office. Um, we've eliminated that maintenance contract successfully. We, not that we're not going to maintain things, but we have brand new lifts installed um with 5-year warranties. We didn't really needed a preventative maintenance contract on something that had a 5-year warranty in place on it. So, um we were we talked about revising our bus replacement plan, and currently we will not purchase buses in 2026. Um we we may at the very end of the year. We'll wait and see how much leeway is there. Um but that just kind of buys us a little time and and some uh opportunity to look at things. Um, we're not replacing one certified position that was a recent resignation.
So, we're checking in if there's a vehicle that the people want us, but at the same time, um, it's no different than I mean, how many times a year do when when the police vehicles come? It's part of the capital. I think at least two two police cruisers are, >> but they're on a replacement cycle, we don't have a replacement cycle. beat these to the breath. >> And so, and then also, we were just talking here, whether or not we whether whatever comes out of Rich's report, does the pendulum swing to fully outsourcing or does the potent pendulum swing to bringing it all in? So, I don't think we all have the the appetite to do anything else. I'm with you. I don't want to busting through this either. Um but at the same time I just signed a purchase order increase because for vehicle repairs because the DPW who's supposed to be doing our vehicles don't have the capacity.
So um these are January expenses for the operations fund. Um remember we we don't pay teacher salary or teacher uh or curriculum per se um insurance for teachers or staff. Um that all comes out of education funds. So everything else to literally operate the district will come from this fund. Um so so you can see some of those categories. Um a few uh notes uh admin uh salary and benefits from the operations was down from December um because of that retrop pay. So we always do bargaining and negotiations and settle the master contract right well when we do that for teachers we also look at support staff and non-certified administrators right so anybody that's in that category that's paid we also give them a retrop pay which is usually paid in December. Well, January, we don't have that that bump, right? So, you just see a little bit of a difference there.
So, they will be competing this Saturday in Indianapolis. Um, that's a big win for our choir department. Um, Mr. Stoaltz has worked really hard to build skills um and to build confidence and we're hopeful that those students do well. Also on Saturday, our jazz band is participating in a jazz competition at North Side. This is actually their third competition of the season. Um, and you know, they I'm always happy when I'm doing walkaround classrooms and I hit jazz band. You just can't go in there and not be happy when you leave. So, good luck to them as they finish their season. And then our next high school performing arts show um will be February 27th, 28th, and March 1st. that is the high school show and then later in March um is our junior high show. Um and then on March 6, our freshman class will be touring Impact Institute um with several of our staff members and that is the same day that all of our juniors will be taking the in school SAT um here at the junior senior high.
Um, right now we're reviewing three fairly large contracts. Um, I won't go into the specifics of those because we're reviewing them and I don't want to necessarily share like what services or industries that we have contracts with because we may try to renegotiate those contracts. Um, but they're fairly large contracts, tens of thousands of dollars a year, um, that we're going to try to look at and and can we just can we do we need them at all or can we just renegotiate them or can we reduce the services within those contracts? Um, reviewing debt strategy as we've talked about um, with with you guys with the board um, how we would use geo bonds and that debt capacity um, instead of maybe being able to do projects, you're going to have to supplement your operations fund with that. Um, and then we're also reviewing a county contract right now as well.
So we have to bring our vans to a private contractor to do the repairs on our vehicles because the garage here >> and and we don't have a um one of the thing we also it's not a revelation but there is no because you are in the business until you're not in it. Right. Um there is no regular rollover. So for example, we have roughly 12 vans be 13ish but call you know realistically with the amount of miles they put on these vans every two every year you should almost be replacing two just for a cycle. So every six years six to seven years you're getting replacement because after six years I would bet those vans are going to be close to almost 180 200,000 miles on them. in that sense. But there is no, you know, you talk about strategic plans and long-term plans.
Um, you'll also see uh Amazon maintenance supplies. Um, we have to remember there is a time period we shut off spending for the district. Um, so when that spending gets opened back up, we will start to see that number probably rise a little bit. Um, a a big thing to look at right here is this RJ credit, which is um a credit in 326,719. Um, the grand total, if you look at the bottom for January, is just under 200k. Well, if you remember from the December, it was over 800,000, right? Well, 326,000 of that came from a a bill we had to pay for the 20 25 bond. So that was reimbursed back to us. So you can see a big difference there. Um board salary increased because we added a work session on January 19th. So that's why that's different from December. Um bus contractors, there's an increase there of $3,800 because we had to double run the buses when the water we had the water main break and we had to send a middle school and high school home on an early release.
So that's been a change over the last several years that the juniors get to take the SAT here in the school instead of driving somewhere on a Saturday morning and that as well. >> I also want to add on as far as athletics fieldwork which I forget. We had a really good winter season sports wise. Our girls sectional uh basketball team lost sectional championship um in a good game against East Side. We had we had four semi-state wrestlers last weekend for boys and we had one state contender um for girls wrestling this year. So, it's been a really good season for wrestling program in particular has done exceptionally well this year, but our winter sports programs have done fairly well this year, too. So, >> I just want to say I'm I'm really uh I'm happy about the ISMA stuff. That's kind of cool that we're getting kids qualify for state on that.
And so, um, those are just things we're currently doing and we'll continue to do more. Um, the administrators, um, myself and Mrs. Boon will continue to have very hard conversations about, you know, programs and and staffing. Um, certainly, you know, I appreciate everything our staff does in every position, right? And so, um, some assumptions have to be made, right? We I think we all everybody no matter what job you do, you wake up in the morning and you go do your best, right? And so um but when you start talking about making cuts that becomes it it becomes personal. It feels personal. Um it feels like it's maybe a a conversation about a performance and it's not necessarily about a performance. It's sometimes just about dollars, right? Um you know I so I think that's an assumption that has to be made. um there is an assumption that has to be made that yes this I mean people will be upset right and so um no matter what person program contract position whatever it is some somebody thinks that's really really important right and and they are because otherwise we wouldn't be doing them but again if if everything is important then that means nothing is important kind of right I mean you have to look at things you have to make some tough decisions and so there are going going to be a lot of very challenging conversations and challenges challenging decisions that have to be made.
There was no plan in place. We found none that every two years we're going to buy or every one year we're going to buy one vehicle or every two. There's zero of that. This will get flushed out as well in that report. >> Yeah. I I'm thinking that our discussion is a little premature because I think we need to have that report in front of us. And it sounds like Just wondered where we were with that. >> Yeah. >> My only question like with the vans I I know again it's premature. We're still talking prematurely here is like are we using the vans or the buses like to the full potential we could be? You know, are we able to use them like for a field trip, you know, instead of paying kasmuscus? Are we able to use them for after school? you know, um are we able to use the vans maybe for middle school sports um who don't play the same time JV and varsity do?
So that's the extra that we see in bus contractors. um janitorial is more than the prior month. Um this is just one of those nuances that we don't get an invoice um from our middle school high schools um second shift custodial contract on a very consistent basis. So this invoice really covered from November 20th through January 22nd. So, we didn't have a bill in December to pay, which makes it look like January was more than December. So, um really wanted to point that out. Um and then in utilities, we had a $20,000 increase in propane. Um and then made a note that we switched gas and diesel and put that under the transportation category because stuff fits fits there more. So, um, the only other thing, uh, is that Scraft fee in January that was over $200,000. That is a onetime annual fee that we always pay, um, in December.
That's pretty neat. Uh I I think that speaks well of what's going on. Uh let's see, where are we? Uh trans transportation. Leah, >> anything? >> Uh we are at a state of really low on on drivers um due to a couple different reasons to include like disparity in pay between the our neighboring districts. Um I have been generating a proposal to set forth but before we did that I wanted to collaborate collectively with administration with the drivers themselves the uh central office and uh Dr. Yonghans, but just so you're aware, um, like the impact tour, we have yet to even get drivers to sign up for that. And the reason being when the five that I asked was because of the pay that they can't step away from their side jobs to drive for these important trips that these students have really a a need to go to.
But again, I kind of go back to where I started. We're in a really strong stable financial position, right? And and and we want to maintain that. We don't want to be back in a situ situation where we were 10 years ago borrowing money just to make payrolls. And so, um that's that's obviously not something we want to do, not something the state would allow us to do anyways. But, um so just kind of wanted to go through that.
I know JV and varsity need a little bigger of a bus for all that equipment. Um but I'm just cur like I'm just like I'm like >> my understanding that efficiency will be addressed under >> Okay, cool. >> Right. But even we do like small drive. >> So these passengers are there seven passenger vehicles that were >> well I mean I'm talking about like the yellow the yellow school bus for like after school for middle school >> that like you know I sometimes see again I was here yesterday for dismissal of after school. Um, you know, and I saw about like I mean there could have been more. I didn't say the whole time, but like five kids got on the big yellow bus. I mean, they could have gone to the high school after. Again, I I'm speculating here. >> I guess that leads to the next question.
So, you'll see it every December, but but that's a that's a massive one. So that is a a summary for January. Um I think a couple other things. The school resource officer is on here that that is only about three times a year. Um so we wanted to be able to show that to you. The supplies that you see for $79.95, uh they probably in the future go under a different category. Um this was a a flout floral arrangement for a funeral that um the district paid for. Um and that was the only thing that was under there. So um just trying to really shore it up and and figure out what things go in which categories and make the most sense. Um but pleased to to be able to share this and and the work that that Megan um and the team has put into this uh to get us here.
>> And I should be clear, this is a this is an issue here, but it is an issue all over the place. And it's not it's peculiar to hear right now because we're noticing it, but it is it has been an ongoing issue for five years and will continue to be. And pay is a part of it for sure, but it's it's also just it's a hard thing to get. It's a hard thing to earn. It takes time to earn your license. Okay. Uh Kim, business stuff. >> I just wanted to give an update on our bond refunding for our 2014 lease bond. Um we did have a pricing last week. It was a successful pricing. The official bond sale will happen on March 5th. Um it's looking like we're going to get a better rate than expected. So we're our savings is coming in at approximately 117,000.