Overton School Budget Moves To County Committee For Approval

The Overton County School Board approved a some $26 million dollar budget Monday that includes raises, support staff insurance and two new nurse positions.

School Board Chair Mike Hayes said the spending plan will go to the Overton County Education Committee for approval Tuesday.

“Last year, started at 25.1. This year we’re at 26.5,” Hayes said. “So, we’re 1.4 million more this year than we were last year starting out, and the things we just talked about were the key drivers.”

Hayes said support staff insurance added about $400,000 as well as a 35 cent raise. Hayes said base salaries for teachers will increase to $41,000 to mach the state’s new minimum. Hayes said a tentative one percent teacher raise is also included.

“Nothing is approved on the salary scale until we approve the salary scale in our formal meetings, but we are budgeting for it,” Hayes said. “The minimum is going up again in July plus another one percent on top of what they’re getting today. So if anything changes and we decide to change any of that, obviously that will affect this.”

Hayes said $250,000 was budgeted for a laptop replacement program. Hayes said the school system also planned $200,000 to purchase two new school buses.

Originally, about $175,000 was budgeted, but School Board Member Mitch Stonecipher said two new vehicles would cost more than that.

“The last buses they bought was $120,000 each,” Stonecipher said.

The budget is balanced as it heads to county commissioners. Final BEP numbers from the state and tax dollar figures must still be finalized for the current fiscal year.