News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Van Buren County School Board will send a budget to the county commission that contains restored funding for a pre-k classroom.
Director of Schools Cheryl Cole said some $100,000 of federal funding came back to the school system.
“I had to go back and revise it last week, because voluntary pre-k,” Cole said. “We had funding for two classrooms when I first started. Four or five years ago we cut one of those, and so we had funding for one of the voluntary pre-k. Now, we’ve gotten it back.”
Cole said the school system still operated the classroom over those years but out of its own money. Cole said the budget also includes a $1,900 raise for teachers to meet the state’s passed minimum salary of $41,000.
Cole said support staff will also receive a two percent raise. As for capital projects, Cole said the budget includes money to replace aging doors and windows in the school system.
“This is what will be taken into the county commission,” Cole said.”
In January, the county commission and school board held a joint work session regarding its budget. Cole said the recommended bookkeeping changes were included in this new spending plan.
“I have put all the grant in here and things the county commission asked for in January,” Cole said. “I’ve put in everything I know about.”
Cole said the balanced new fiscal year budget estimates a $2.9 million general fund.
In other business, the school board updated 10 school policies. Cole said the rules were passed in 1999 and needed an updated date. The wording remained the same.
School Board members also approved soliciting bids to sale a broken down garbage truck and two old school buses.
