In the last few years, the Panorama School District has seen a negative financial trend. The district’s solvency, or it’s ability to pay expenses using available funds, has decreased from 23.82% in 2013-2014 to 10.07% in 2016-2017. However, with the utilization of a state approved cash reserve levy and a few other measures, the district is projecting a positive solvency trend in the years to come.

The positive financial outlook is also due in part to reducing expenses through employee attrition. Strategies like these have resulted in an increase in the Unspent Authorized Budget (UAB), or the difference between the district’s legal budget authority and actual expenditures, of $61,329 from the 2016-2017 school year. Superintendent Shawn Holloway explains the goal behind these financial changes. “In the state of Iowa, money is tight for schools. The long term concern at this point for a lot of superintendents is, over the next ten to fifteen years, to stay competitive salary wise with Des Moines Metro schools (and) suburban schools.”

During the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years, the UAB decreased by just over $150,000. For the 2018 fiscal year, the district has levied $465,074 from the state. To hear more from Holloway on this and other district topics, listen to Monday’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County program.