Financial report shows most local money goes to pay teachers

By Lynn Hotaling

The largest percentage of both state and local funds are used to pay classroom teachers, finance officer David Steinbicker told members of the Jackson County Board of Education.

Calling the school system, which is the county's third-largest employer behind Western Carolina University and WestCare Health System, a "people organization," Steinbicker showed the board that 70.6 percent ($21.7 million) of the schools' $30.7 million total budget goes to pay classroom teachers.

With regard to $6.8 million in local funds, which include $4,635,617 allocated locally by county commissioners and some grant funding, some 60 percent ($4.08 million) goes toward personnel, he said. Of that amount, 34.1 percent ($1.34 million), almost twice as much as any other category, is spent on teacher salaries. With the addition of the 13.3 percent ($542,640) spent on instructional support, almost 50 percent ($1.9 million) is earmarked for classroom instruction, according to Steinbicker's graphs.

Taking that a step farther on Tuesday, Steinbicker said 28 teachers are paid from local funds. Of those, five (17 percent) are at Blue Ridge; six (21.4 percent) are at Cullowhee Valley; six (21.4 percent) are at Fairview; one (3.6 percent) is at Scotts Creek; three (10.7 percent) are at Smoky Mountain Elementary; and seven (25 percent) are at Smoky Mountain High.

Student enrollment this year totals 3,549, according to SIMS coordinator Sarah Davis. Individual school enrollments are: Blue Ridge, 243 (7 percent); CVS, 591 (17 percent); Fairview, 753 (21 percent); Scotts Creek, 482 (14 percent); SMES, 477 (13 percent); SMHS, 962 (27 percent); and School of Alternatives, 41 (1 percent).

Administration, which includes principals, assistant principals and Central Office staff, accounts for 7.24 percent ($2.23 million) of the total budget, Steinbicker said, and 10.25 percent ($418,200) of local allocations. Local funds are used to pay assistant principals for an 11th month of employment, he said. Portions of the superintendent's and some principals' salaries also come from locally allocated funds.

Maintenance of school facilities, which includes electricity and cleaning and by law must be paid from local funds, accounts for 19.35 percent ($1.32 million) of the local allocation, Steinbicker said.

Turning to the condition of the school system's fund balance, Steinbicker said reserves have declined below $1 million, which he thinks is the minimum healthy fund balance.

Some $270,000 has already been appropriated from the fund balance to balance this year's budget, Steinbicker said, leaving only about $18,000 above the $674,645 reserve required by state statute. Legally, that $18,000 is all that can be appropriated before the end of the current fiscal year, Steinbicker said.

"What I'm trying to say is that we need to be careful during the next fiscal year in terms of appropriating the fund balance," Steinbicker said.

Superintendent Mack McCary said that the $270,000 taken from the fund balance for this year's budget represents half of the increase school officials requested from county commissioners but did not receive.

School leaders requested a 21 percent increase, which included funding for a teacher supplement. Without the supplement, the requested increase totaled 14 percent; commissioners approved a 7 percent increase in the allocation to local schools. In other matters Monday:

- Exceptional children's teachers and staff were honored during a reception that preceded Monday's board meeting. Because local ECP teachers are aware of and adhere to best practices in the scope and sequence of paper work, said McCary, the last Department of Public Instruction on-site audit of record-keeping, policy and procedures was almost flawless.

- Arlin Middleton, school system maintenance supervisor, reported that his department's budget is in better shape this year than last. Milder temperatures have reduced school heating costs, he said.

Turning to construction projects, Middleton and SMHS Assistant Principal Alex Bell said the new workforce development center should be ready for use in January. Only two items remain to be resolved before the school can obtain a Certificate of Occupancy for the new building. One is an exhaust vent with the wrong gauge metal, and the other is a discrepancy in the routing of heating system pipes.

A few minor problems remain at the new Scotts Creek School, Middleton said, and former school system construction coordinator Clarence Hubbell is working with contractors to address them.

- Allen Painter, chairman of the School Safety Advisory Panel, updated board members on his panel's progress toward establishing a time line for implementation of the panel's recommendation.

- Blue Ridge School presented the monthly Spotlight on Quality segment. Instructional leader Freddie Frizzell discussed the school's recent multicultural Earth Song festival. Catch the Spirit of Appalachia assisted with the event, Frizzell said.

Blue Ridge fourth-graders presented a folk dance, and Frizzell described the school's community outreach efforts.

Assistant Principal Roy Douthitt described grants the school has received to improve communications and technology and offer community computer courses.

Back to Archive: 12/13/01.