School system presents budget
Delayed for two months by the uncertainty of state funding, Warren County Schools presented its 2002-2003 budget, totaling $36.6 million, to the County Commission’s Education Committee Saturday morning.
“We feel this is a fair budget,” said Director of Schools Dr. Jerry Hale. “It meets all of the state’s requirements, including the county’s maintenance of effort, a minimum 3-percent fund balance and all accountability requirements.”
The schools’ budget is technically three separate budgets, the largest being the General Purpose School Fund, totaling just over $32 million. Almost half of this budget goes toward the regular instruction program, which funds the school system’s biggest single expenditure (almost $11 million), teacher salaries.
The money for teacher salaries saw a $150,000 increase this year. In addition to funding the county’s portion of the state’s salary increase, some of this money will be available for local raises, the specific amount to be determined in negotiations with the Warren County Education Association.
The budget also includes step raises for the school system’s support personnel and an additional 50 cents a day for county bus drivers.
At $2.1 million, the School Federal Projects Fund includes all money received by the school system from the federal government, often through the state government. Nearly every cent of federal funds is conditional, in that it can only be spent in areas approved by federal officials and not wherever local school officials choose. Money in this fund is used to finance vocational education, special education and all of the Title programs.
This year’s Central Cafeteria Fund stands at almost $2.4 million. Meal sales and contributions from the federal USDA School Lunch Program and some state funds make this fund mostly self-sufficient.
Of the $36.6 million total budget, about one third, or $10.8 million, is funded locally. The majority of this comes from the local option sales tax. In Tennessee schools are entitled to half of all local option sales tax collections. As for property taxes, they make up only about 12 percent of the total budget.
The budget includes a 5-cent increase in the system’s share of the property tax. Dr. Hale said this move is necessary if the county is to meet its maintenance of effort, or the amount of money the state requires the county government to contribute to the local school system.
“In terms of funding we are in the bottom half of the state and the state is in the bottom half of the nation,” said Dr. Hale, who noted Warren County taxpayers are getting tremendous bang for their buck.
The total budget was approved Saturday by the Education Committee and Monday by the Budget and Finance Committee. The full commission is set to vote on the budget later this month.