City school board previews budget, recognizes achievements

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Dr. Jay Page, principal, left, was among representatives of West Elementary to accept the school’s 2017 Beautification Award from PALS. Joining him were, from left, Superintendent Dr. Susan Patterson, Mrs. Ginger Culver and Mr. Joe Duke. / W.C. Mann

CULLMAN – The Cullman City School Board this week recognized the achievements of staffers and schools, and got its first official look at the proposed budget for fiscal year 2018.

Achievements

System Student Services Coordinator Dr. Richard Templeton was recognized for his appointment as Director of the Alabama Council of Administrators of Special Education on the CLAS Board of Directors for 2017-18.

The Board of Education itself received a 2017 Beautification Award from the Cullman County People Against a Littered State (PALS) committee.

Cullman Primary School and West Elementary School both received 2017 Beautification Awards from PALS.

Cullman Primary won the county PALS first-place Clean Campus Award.

East Elementary School won the county PALS second-place Clean Campus Award.

Budget

At a hearing before the regular meeting, Chief School Financial Officer Russell Raney presented a preliminary budget for fiscal year 2018.

  • Total of all revenues and other financing sources . . . $34,684,791.43
  • Total of all expenditures and other fund uses . . . . . . $34,051,239.12

With the surplus in this budget added to money already in the system’s account, the budget predicted that the system will have $8,236,549.49 in the bank at the end of FY 2018.

Local funding is expected to benefit from a $150,000 increase in sales and ad valorem taxes, while funding from the state board is dropping slightly.  The system’s reserve fund will be able to cover up to two-and-a-half months of operating costs, placing the system’s reserve capability in the top third of the 137 school systems in the state.

The final budget will be approved at a special meeting on Sept. 14, one day ahead of the deadline for submission of that budget to the state.  The board will meet at 5 p.m. in the central office boardroom; the public is invited to attend.

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