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June 10, 2008


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NEWS

West Carroll School Board Discusses Budget, Approves Teacher Transfers

By Lindsey Arnold
arnold@mckenziebanner.com

ATWOOD (June 5) West Carroll’s Special School District Board met Thursday evening in a brief session, mainly to discuss the budget for the 2008-2009 school year.

West Carroll Superintendent Eric Williams handed out a “preliminary” budget to the board members. He said, “I say preliminary because we’re just now getting our numbers in from the state and they are subject to change.” He discussed the highlights of the budget with the board thereafter.

Last year the schools’ BEP was down, but is up this year due to an increase of 29 students to the population. This generated 2.9 additional teaching spots lost from last year’s decrease in student population. “When you gain that number of students, you take it through the entire formula and it starts generating money in areas (it previously hadn’t).” This results in the school being up about $317,000 in the preliminary budget, a 5.12 percent increase from the last year’s budget.

Local revenue experienced growth due to the development of Indian Lake in Cedar Grove that raised the district value to nearly $3,000,000 dollars. Some lots in the area have been assessed at $169,000 apiece.

The school has backed up on the local option sales tax because of the economy and increased delinquent tax from seven to eight percent and even with that has showed growth. As Mr. Williams said, “On the revenue side, we’ve had good, positive growth.”

The governor did cut anticipated two percent raises to teachers, although bonuses will be sent out sometime in October in the vicinity of $300 per BEP teacher.

The board discussed increasing their payment portion of insurance from 50 to 55 percent so that employees would only have to pay 45 percent. The total increase for insurance is estimated at $29,000. “Insurance is becoming a nightmare for everybody and by going five percent more on the board’s part, it will relieve some of the burden on the employees,” said Mr. Williams.

The board has also increased funding for supplies, equipment and library books. The board was told to increase utilities funding by at least fifteen percent. Custodial supplies and capital projects received increased funding as well. Some of the projects include; repair of the roof of the Elementary School gym, repair of leaks at the Primary School gym, purchase of a machine to prevent backflow at the Primary School, paving at the Elementary School and fencing at the High School.

Everything but food service was addressed in the budget. The numbers weren’t in at the time of the meeting. It’s estimated that there will be anywhere from an eighteen to forty percent increase in the food budget with rising gas prices and therefore delivery prices increasing. Upon most recent view of the school food services budget, it was nearly $60,000 over for this year because, as Superintendent Williams put it, “Every company out there is adding surcharges and increasing the prices and trying to change the numbers on us.”

The budget totals were as follows: General purpose - $6,536,396, Federal projects - $679,999, Education debt service - $256,380, Food Service – incomplete. A more official budget will be discussed once the state makes its changes and returns the budget to the school. A budget meeting is scheduled Monday, June 30 at 6:00 p.m.

Other items addressed in the meeting:

On May 12, Junior/Senior High School Principal Lex Suite attended a “value added” Awards ceremony in Nashville and was presented with first place honors in the state for West Carroll’s seventh and eighth grade classes. The seventh and eight grade teachers and everyone else involved were commended by the board.

Two bids for paving the back parking lot of the Primary School were examined. The parking lot had been gravel for many years. Arrow Paving of Lexington made a bid of $24,877, while Martin Paving of Medina gave a bid for $30,000. Arrow was recommended and unanimously approved by the board.

A $2,000 state grant towards health was received and many activities and games such as exercise equipment, air bikes, elliptical machines for conditioning, horseshoes, badminton, volleyballs, baseballs and softballs were purchased with the grant.

The board is still searching for an assistant high school football coach for Head Coach Josh Fronaberger.

The board accepted resignations from Kristie Arnold (Elementary), Leah Partridge and Kathy Burkett (both Primary).

The board unanimously approved a Science Club field trip to Washington June 20-23.

Transfers by Wade Maddox to high school science and Lee Ann Edwards to high school art were approved by the board. Also noted were new hires. Derrick Leach will be teaching seventh grade science and helping with the junior high football team. April Riley with be teaching at the Primary School, Erica Kennedy will be teaching at the Elementary School and Bethany Barker will be teaching art at both the elementary and primary schools.

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June 10, 2008