Sequestration still a worry for Parshall Schools
By Jerry W. Kram
The Parshall School Board adopted its budget for the coming year, but federal inaction on the country’s budget again means the school district won’t know how much income it will have until well into January.
School Superintendent John Weidner told the school board that the four big contributors to the school’s income were oil and gas revenue, local property taxes, state aid and federal impact aid. Weidner said that impact aid, which replaces property tax payments on federal, tribal and military property could be subject to sequestration again this year. Sequestration are automatic cuts in federal spending that will take effect unless Congress passes a budget bill. Weidner said Parshall schools are working with an organization of schools from reservations and military bases to make changes to the program.
"We would like to get impact aid moved from the Department of Defense to the Treasury Deparment," Weidner said. "That would change to the program to an entitlement that wouldn’t be affected by sequestration. I don’t know how they think they can get by paying just 80 percent of what really is their property tax. If anyone else came in and said they were only going to pay 80 percent of their taxes they would get a visit from the sheriff."
Weidner said the
