School Board Pushes Budget To $50.9 million

By Jon A. Brake

If it had been anyplace other than a school, residents of Manhattan and Ogden would have been thanking God for the three
new school board members.

Tuesday afternoon the Manhattan-Ogden School Board meet to approve a budget for 2000-2001. Board members Farhad
Azadivar, Nancy Knopp and Roger Brannan wanted answers to questions.

The old guard members Larry Weaver, Flordie Pettis, Bev Eversmeyer and Joleen Hill wanted to pass the $50.9 million
budget without questions.

In the end both sides won. The new members asked the questions and the administration could not answer. Sample: "on page
6, under the line ‘Other’ expenditures have gone up $1.5 million, Why?" Answer: "I don’t know, we have 15,000 items and I
would have to look at them before I could tell you."

The Board has taken the LOB money to new heights. This is the tax that school district can use to add money to the District.
For years the citizens had stopped the LOB by taking it to a vote. The State Legislators changed the law giving the districts
which stay below 25% of their General Operating Fund the LOB without a chance for a vote of the citizens.

Every year the Manhattan School enrollment goes down and the Budget goes Up.