Putnam Schools Will Make Up Budget Deficit With Reserves

The Putnam County School System’s budget deficit down to $897, 395 as the School Board approved its third budget draft Thursday night.

Director of Schools Corby King said the newest draft reflects the county’s budget committee’s decision to cover some $820,000 in school bus expenditures for the coming year.

“(Chief Financial Office) Mark (McReynolds) feels pretty confident that we can balance that using our reserve fund, our reserve fund is healthy,” King said. “We used it to balance the budget last year. We don’t have the final number, where that’s going to land yet. Mark’s still in the process of closing out books but we know that we’ll be able to add some to the reserve fund again. So he’s confident that we’ll be able to balance the budget using that.”

King said that after the board approved the draft Thursday night it will go before the full county commission. He said that should the county commission approve the draft, it will be the final step for this year’s budget process.

King said that new budget increases include some $5.2 million in benefits, including raises and health insurance increases. Projected personnel additions include three part-time guidance counselors, four growth positions, and an interpreter for Cookeville High School. The total for personnel additions costs almost $462,000.

“The four growth positions I’ve already allowed them to post,” King said. “We have to have those to meet mandated ratios. We know that within those who have already preregistered in the spring and fall. But I still anticipate that we could have to have another couple of growth positions, but if we do we should get an increase in BEP as well. And that just will depend on enrollment increases when we open.”

This year’s budget also included $1.1 million in miscellaneous increases, including utilities, textbooks, and maintenance among other things.

In other business, the school board is hoping to receive revised numbers for the new Park View School bids. After the bids came in some $20 million over projections, Upland Design Architect Kim Chamberlain said that the spoke with the contractor and has put into question the reasoning for some of their bid numbers.

Chamberlain said that he expects to get more information by the end of next week.