It won’t be fully realized until late September, when funding arms become more clear.
But the Trigg County Board of Education acknowledged a “conservative” bearish look at the 2023-24 fiscal year budget Thursday night. One with limited spending, and at the moment no plans for district raises.
That may change as officials review more concrete terms approaching the new school year. Chief Finance Officer Holly Greene, however, noted the concerns of low average daily attendance and equation attachment to the state’s SEEK funding have arrived — where a $500,000 to $750,000 line-item loss looks apparent.
The silver lining, in a conversation between Greene and board member Charlene Sheehan, is the ADA loss here might be better than it is elsewhere in the Commonwealth.
Sheehan and Greene also wondered aloud concerns about how the state will manage district budgets once ESSER dollars — coming from the American Rescue Plan Act — no longer remain.
As it stands, Greene told the board General Fund revenue has been marked at $17.99 million, with estimates of $4.8 million coming from real property, more than $3 million from Fund 2, more than $900,000 in Fund 320 (or the building fund), around $200,000 on child care option, $130,000 from public service corporations, $50,000 on delinquent property tax, $600,000 on motor vehicles, $850,000 on utility tax, $50,000 on interest income and $75,000 on impact aid.
This budget does not include a potential nickel tax, which as of now remains in Trigg County Circuit Court litigation and no determination available at this time.
The reduction of County Employees Retirement System (CERS) match from 26-plus percent to 23-plus percent, Greene added, helps.
A working budget will be approved in September.
In other Trigg County School board news:
— Superintendent Bill Thorpe had his contract renewed 4-0, with Clara Beth-Hyde unable to attend. The district’s lawyer, Jack Lackey Jr., detailed the contracts terms.
— Sadie Utter and Camilla Tenorio gave their STLP “Open Minds, Open Hearts” presentation to the board, just three weeks after competing at the highest level in Rupp Arena. In creating an online portal useful for removing language barriers between foreign exchange students, teachers and local citizens, their efforts were deemed among the top 4% in Kentucky.
— Trigg County Primary School Principal Lindsey Kinslow gave a strong report on academics this year. Kindergarten STAR Early Lit scores went from 54% green to 83% green, while first grade jumped from 62% to 71%. First grade STAR Reading went from 46% to 54%, with all students able to complete the test at the end of the year. Second grade STAR Reading improved from 48% to 64%, while first grade STAR math leapt from 75% green to 89% green, and second grade from 66% to 79%.
