News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County Director of Schools Corby King said a $1.4 million increase in BEP funding is projected for the system.
The system received its first of three BEP Funding estimates from the state on Tuesday. King said the increase from 2020 is exactly the news the system wanted.
“Our funding is based on our average daily membership in the school system for students,” King said. “So we had the potential to lose quite a bit of money in this year’s projection. So the General Assembly passing the BEP Hold Harmless was huge for us.”
BEP, or Basic Education Program funding is based on the systems average daily enrollment and attendance, along with several other components. It is the funding model that allocates funding per student, to school systems.
King said the four percent raise is appreciated and a step in the right direction. However, he said with 80-90 positions in the system not BEP funded, it will be difficult to make that equal a true four percent raise.
“The way they do this, they raise it on the instructional component allocation in the BEP,” King said. “It doesn’t take into consideration all of the positions that we have that are not funded in the BEP and I know folks hear about that a lot.”
When it comes to school enrollment, King said the system is receiving daily calls about families wanting to reenter the system. He said the early projections indicate losses from 2020 will be recouped.
“Our early enrollment period was successful and it’s in line with what we had in years past, prior to COVID,” King said. “So I feel like many families are coming back and then there are families that are gonna enroll in our VITAL program next year.”
King said that VITAL is an important piece to getting home school students in the system, while allowing them to work in the learning environment that suits them best. King said they typically receive three BEP funding numbers from the state in April, May and June.
