School budgets anticipates keeping surplus

Local News

January 30, 2010

By Tim Mandell The Richmond Register Sat Jan 30, 2010, 08:39 PM EST

Madison County Schools superintendent Tommy Floyd presented an amended working budget for the 2009-10 school year and a draft budget for the 2010-11 school year during a school board meeting Thursday night at Madison Central High School.

Floyd said Madison County Schools began the current school year with a $5.6 million balance, and he anticipates ending the year with that balance intact. However, if future funding decreases, the district may need to dip into that balance.

As much as $1.5 million may be needed for operating expenditures that may exceed revenues, Floyd said.

When board member Doug Whitlock asked about the $5.6 million, Glenn Marshall, assistant superintendent, said Madison County Schools have spent the past 10-12 years building that surplus.

“Two and a half more years like that, and it’s gone,” Whitlock said, referring to the need to use a portion of the money in 2010-11.

Marshall responded, “That’s why we have saved that money, for times like these.”

One area of concern is the state Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge (SEEK) budget.

SEEK awards each school district a certain amount of money per student, based on average daily attendance. It is calculated, not by the number of students enrolled, but by the number that attend school during September and October.

The H1N1 flu reduced school attendance in October, resulting in a low daily average, said Floyd.

He also said SEEK funds will stay the same for the third year in a row, although costs will continue to rise.

The bright spot is that Madison County Schools can be re-evaluated for average daily attendance, based on January numbers, which should increase the amount of funding, the superintendent said.

Floyd also highlighted some positive factors for the current budget. Utility tax revenue is $200,000 ahead of budget and reduced diesel fuel prices saved an estimated $100,000. Savings are anticipated in other areas, including technology.

In drafting the 2010-11 budget, Floyd said the budget was approached with many unknowns, including state funding.

He said the district has prepared a conservative budget that goes under the assumption that SEEK will remain at $3,866 per student, there will be no raises or increase in instructional staff and there will be a continuation of federal funding for grant projects.

Floyd highlighted positive factors as being that the district has budgeted utilization of funds to pay approximately $485,000 in special education salaries and the district reduced the budget approximately $230,000 for one-time expenditures for the opening of B. Michael Caudill Middle School and approximately $400,000 in technology expenditures.

His concerns are that without state funding, Madison County Schools will be responsible for the mandated 1 percent pay increase, which amounts to about $450,000, the uncertainty of cost for diesel, needing to increase staff to meet student growth, which has increased an average of 60 students each year and the effects of funding for SEEK.

Board member John Lackey commended the district for their work with the budget, but expressed concern about whether or not every avenue has been exhausted and said there is a need to ask the hard questions as to do “we have who need and need who we have.”

Floyd refused to respond about individual employees, but said “I think we’re doing a good job with the resources we have. I think Madison County Schools is right now running as efficiently as it has in a while.”

Board members Becky Coyle and Glyn Green also commended the district for its hard work on the budget in a time when many other schools are struggling and being forced to dip into their balance, with Green saying “if it were not for you three (Floyd, Marshall and finance officer Debbie Frazier) we would be in the same boat with a lot of schools.”

A tentative budget for the 2010-11 school year will be presented in May.

Tim Mandell can be reached at tmandell@richmondregister.com or 623-1669 ext. 6696.

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