Troy School Board to vote on budget Thursday

Published 11:21 pm Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The Troy City Schools Board of Education will meet at 7:30 a.m. Thursday to vote on the 2012-2013 proposed budget.

Board members set the called meeting on Tuesday, during the board’s regular monthly meeting.

“I’ve given each of you copies of the proposed budget and hope you’ll review it between now and then,” Superintendent Lee Hicks told the board.

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The budget, reviewed twice during public hearings, includes $23.1 million in planned expenditures (including $3.5 million in construction projects) and $17.7 estimated revenues. The difference – some $5.3 million – will come from bond proceeds ($3.5 million) and the general fund operating reserve.

Mickey Daughtry, CFO of the district, said the budget includes an estimated 3 percent growth in sales tax revenues over FY 2012; a 5 percent decline in state funding; and a 9 percent decline in federal funding.

Personnel costs for the entire district – including administration, faculty, staff and support personnel salaries and benefits – is $15.2 million or 78 percent of total expenditures.

“From what I’ve seen, that is within the average for the state,” Daughtry said after the meeting.

Instructional services are budgeted at $11.3 million, or $5,411.08 per student.

In other business on Tuesday, board members:

• Approved a five-year capital plan. “This is an outline, a goal of what our school system is wanting to do in the future,” said Superintendent Lee Hicks. “If you’ll notice, funding is not assessed at this time.” The plan outlines multiple projects that “improve the land we already own,” Hicks said, including resolving drainage issues; adding roofs to buildings; installing lighting at CHMS activity field; building an additional wing at CHHS; resurfacing parking lots and driveways; and even purchasing land near existing campus for future expansion. It is, as he said, “a wish list of sorts.”

“To clarify, just because it’s in the plan doesn’t mean we’re going to do it or that we have funding for it,” Board member Roxie Kitchens said.

• Accepted the resignation of Elly Reeves, Troy Elementary computer lab instructor, and approved the transfer of Kerry Hargarten from ALC reading teacher to the computer lab position. The board also accepted the resignation of Rachael Railey, TES Special Education instructional aide. “We will not hire to replace the two resignation positions,” Hicks said. “We’ll make an internal transfer for the one.”

• Approved revisions to the field trip policy, relating primarily to presentation and categorization of the written policy.

• Accepted the financial report, which included sales tax revenues of $226,311 for August, up 3.6 percent from 2011.