The Franklin County Board of Education approved a $49.56 million budget for fiscal year 2024-25 at its September 10th meeting.
The budget is down approximately $5.5 million from last year's budget, due in large part to the expiration of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER, monies from the federal government.
“The COVID funds are gone, and all we have remaining must be spent by September 30, 2024,” said Franklin County Schools Chief School Finance Officer Carla Knight.
“So we had to do some cuts to account for those funds ending and that's why you see the $5 million down from last year,” she added.
All Franklin County Schools employees will receive a two percent raise in the new fiscal year. That raise is exclusive of teacher raises from the State of Alabama's FY25 budget that includes a 7.6% increase from last year's teacher salary schedule.
The Alabama State Department of Education requires all public school systems to maintain a one-month reserve balance equal to one month of general fund expenditures. That comes to approximately $3.1 million for Franklin County Schools and the system has an ending general fund balance of approximately $5 million, Knight said.
Franklin County Schools has 553 total employees, including certified and support staff, and total enrollment of 3,420, a decrease of 28 students from last year.
State funding is based on a school system's enrollment, and FY25 funding has a decrease of nine teacher units from the state. All teachers receive $900 teaching supplements to be used for classroom related expenses, and an additional $100 each to be used in a 'common purchase' pool for expenses that benefit all teachers as opposed to meeting a specific need in their classroom.
Primary revenue for Franklin County Schools comes from the State of Alabama ($33.28 million). Federal revenue totals $6.35 million and local funding provides $9.59 million.
The primary expense is the area of instructional services and support services, $31.54 million. Operations and maintenance expenses are budgeted for $7.12 million, auxiliary services $1.81 million, general administrative services $2.94 million, capital outlay $1.62 million and debt services $2.01 million, approximately 3% of the total budget.
Additional state funding, $256,000, for transportation expenses, will allow the system to purchase two new school buses in the coming fiscal year.
The new budget includes an additional $106,000 for school nurses, which allows the system to have a nurse at every campus.
In other agenda items at its September 10th meeting, the board:
--approved the following personnel moves: Resignations for Johnna Oliver, Child Nutrition Program Assistant, Tharptown, Emma DeVaney, elementary teacher, PCES, Morgan McCarley, special education teacher, TES. Employment of Angelia Mims, kindergarten teacher, PCES, Maggie Fowler, junior high school cheer coach, PCHS, Hollie Rice, Child Nutrition Program Assistant, Franklin County Schools, Karlie Moore, business education teacher, THS. FMLA request for Taylor Godsey, teacher, PCHS, from August 14, 2024 to November 12, 2024. Teacher Substitutes including Carry Crawford, Kylee James, Allison Jamison, Rebecca Little, Britten Randolph and Mary Motes. Volunteers including Ashley Blackburn, volleyball and softball assistant coach, RBHS, Carson Corum, assistant junior high basketball coach.
--recognized board member Carol Murphree for achieving Level 1 Certification with the Alabama Association of School Board Member Academy.
--approved a sanitary sewer overflow response plan for the Tharptown Wastewater Treatment Plant System, Vina Wastewater Treatment Plant System for 2024-25.
--approved the Interagency Agreement for Providing Mental Health Services between Franklin County Schools and Riverbend Center for Mental Health for the new fiscal year.
--approved out of state trips including Vina girls and boys basketball teams to Smithville, Miss on Oct 22nd and Tremont, Miss., on Nov. 18th, Belgreen, Red Bay, Tharptown and Vina senior classes to Itawamba Community College, Vina pre-Kindergarten to Tupelo Buffalo Park on Oct. 18th, RBHS FFA to National FFA Convention in Indianapolis Oct. 21-24th, RBHS varsity and JV volleyball teams to Belmont, Miss., on Oct. 1st.
