Putnam Schools Could Use Fund Balance For Budget

The Putnam County School Board approved the first draft of a new budget that will use some $1.1 million from the system’s fund balance.

Director Of Schools Corby King said all county departments were instructed to present a zero increase budget due to COVID-19. King said the budget does include a expenditure increase but the school system will pay for it with savings from this year’s COVID-19 shutdown.

“Really with the shutdown, we’ve had some big savings in a few line items,” King said. “We’re able to add approximately $2 million to that fund balance this year.”

The system ended last year with just over $9.8 million in its fund balance.

The total budget includes some $3.46 million in total expenditures. State BEP funding will provide some $2.4 million in revenue.

King said the leadership team used goals set forth by the school board two years ago in its Excel Putnam 2022 strategic plan.

“We working off the same list of improvements we worked on last year,” King said. “We didn’t add anything new this year as far as new targets, new goals.”

The budget does include new personnel including an assistant principal at Baxter Primary, a cashier at Cookeville High School, an additional staff interpreter, and additional secretaries at Algood Elementary, Capshaw Elementary and Prescott Elementary.

The governor’s Basic Education Plan includes a two percent raise for teachers. King said the system has traditionally provided that same level of raise to other employees.

King said the system also increased the substitute teacher expense line.

“At the time we closed in March we were on pace to use more substitute money than we have in the past,” King said. “Now, a lot of that goes into professional development, providing subs for teachers to be out during the school day. It’s not just teachers’ absences.”

King said the county will not complete its budget until late July.