8:09 a.m. CST
According to Deborah Messer, Chief Financial Officer for the school board, they estimate to begin October, 1, 2010 with $1,999,500.00 in the general fund.
"We anticipate being right at at the $2 million mark for the beginning of the year and that is really quite remarkable considering the cut in funds." Messer said. "We have significantly watched spending this year in 2010 so there hasn't been a lot of extra expenditures."
Messer also anticipates being able to build the local fund balance this year.
"We believe we can build the local fund balance this year because of the money were just promised a week and a half ago with the Jobs Bill," Messer continued. "Up until that point we were expected to have to pay a little over six teachers locally. With the Jobs Bill money we were able to pay six teachers out of the Federal Jobs Bill money instead of paying the 9.16 so that left us with 3.16 local units which is the lowest we've been in many, many years."
Messer belives that the following fiscal year might not be as helpful.
"When the Federal Jobs Bill money goes away and the Fiscal Stabilization money goes away we will have to reabsorb those six local teacher units and roughly 12 support people," Messer said. "So 2012 is the year that we are anticipating the real struggle."
Messer says a current struggle for this year will be the transportation funds.
"The transportation fund keeps taking large hits," Messer said. "At this point, the $296,974 that we receive in 2011 for transportation will just pay for salaries. It will not pay for any utilities, gasoline or vehicle parts. All that has to come out of the local fund. There's just not any allocations left after you pay salaries."
A positive note in the reports were of the rise of attendance in Guntersville Schools.
"Our first day attendance this year was 1,933," Messer said from her records. "So we are actually up this year in attendance."
First day attendance for Guntersville Elementary School on August 9th was 476 students, Cherokee Elementary School had 452 students, Guntersville Middle School had 424 students and Guntersville High School had 581 students.
Dr. Dale Edwards, Superintendent of Education thanked Messer for her hard work in bring the records together for the board to review.
"As you know this is probably the most important thing we as a board do and that's financial management," said Dr. John Boggess, chairman of the board. "I think at this point we've done a pretty good job of keeping our school system where it needs to be."
Julia Covington, child nutrition supervisor, was also present during the meeting to discuss an award from the
"Two weeks ago I received a phone call from Perry Fulton, director of the child nutrition state department of education," Covington said.
"We had participated in the Healthier U.S. School challenge al last year and the application was submitted in the very first of May. It passed the state level and the regional level and after clairifiing a few things and answering a few questions it went to the federal level where we received the gold level of distinction. It was the best that it could be and our schools will benefit from that with a $2,000 check from the federal government and a plaque."
Covington commended all of the lunchroom staff for their hardwork. "I thank all the ladies for working so hard and the faculty was very supportive as well as the board," Covington continued. "I'm very excited about it and we will continue to feed our children as healthly as possible."
The board will meet again Thursday for the second budget hearing and to adopt the budget for the year.
