Happening Now

Monday, August 27, 2018
Lee Fuller

At Monday’s regular BOE meeting the following agenda was discussed with approximately eight attendees in the audience.

1. The meeting started with a call to order including the invocation, prayer, and pledge.

2. All BOE members were present during roll call.

3. No objections to the nights proposed agenda and it was unanimously approved.

4. The minutes from the 7/26/18, 8/7/18, and 8/13/18 were unanimously approved.

5. The public was invited to comment on agenda items. There were no comments from any attendees.

6. Recognition was made for the FOCUS Difference Maker of the Year award. The recipient of this statewide award was a Jacksonville high School teacher, Mrs. Amy McKay McCreless. The award is a $1000 check. For more information on the program and award please see. FOCUS Program

7. The Audit report was then presented by Scott Lee of Richard, Harris, Ingram and Bozeman, PC, Montgomery, AL The 58 page report was summarized by a finding of an unmodified opinion and no material weakness noted in all areas such as Federal, Accounting, and State compliance. The district qualified as low risk based on all requirements on federal level. State laws had no issues and a clean report was issued.

8. The Finance Report was issued through the date of 6/30/2018 as well as a the first of two hearings for the 2018-2019 school budget was held. All financial reports and budgetary items are available at: Finance Reports

The combined reconciliation report was $3,976,243 for both schools. Child nutrition was not included, nor the trust account for payment on debt payment. $85,238.59 in is in the trust accounts. All reports unanimously approved.

Additional reports provided were the Accounts payable, money market, month reports, total expenditures, salaries and benefits, balance comparison, general fund, summary of local taxes, cumulative findings, transportation, utilities cost, and principal reports from both schools.

FEMA payment for $6736.50 was received to assit with costs for displaced students from the March tornadoes. Total expense was $8,992.

The most detailed item discussed was the budget package.

Highlights:

The budget has a $221,000 projected deficient
Reasons: City funding was cut from $250,000 to $125,000
Two additional elementary teachers were hired
An extra instructional assistant was hired
4% increase in transportation costs
$10,000 security cost increase
$250 in additional expenditures

Budget Revenue:
$8,372,476 from the state foundation
$1,260,000 estimated tax revenue.
$883,000 local ad valorm taxes – has to be matched with ETF funds
$923,518 other state funds
$975,000 child nutrition program revenue not counting pass-through which is $324,000
$1,130,000 federal funds
$732,000 reminder of ad valorm local property tax after the match
$125,000 city funds
$67,800 all local county taxes not including ad valorm such as county beer and liquor mobile home, tag…
$137,900 other local funds tuition mac reimbursement and misc pieces
$627,095 money from activities that come in on the local level
$883,000 is the local match

Revenue percentage is made up of local funds account for 25%, state 63%, and federal 12%.

Money is allocated in the follow ways:
Instruction 58% : teachers, materials, textbooks
Instructional support 16%: guidance counsel, secretaries, nurses, technology, librarians, principals office
Operation and maintenance 7%
Transportation 5%
Child nutation revenue 8%
Board and administration cost 4%
Debt services less then 1%
Other 1%

This was budget hearing #1 number #2 must be help by September 15th.

Discussions were held with city council members and requests made to the city to restore funds from $125,000 back to the $250,000 amount from previous years. These meetings were held 3 weeks ago. City council is still holding meetings to determine if restoration is possible.

9. Personnel changes were address and unanimously approved.

10. The date of the next board meeting was confirmed for 9/11/18 5:30 work session followed by the meeting.

11. Announcements and Guests:
School is back in session
Spirit on the Mnt this week 8/23
No guests present.

12. Adjournment – Unanimously approved