School District Finances Back On Track
School Board members look over a proposal for dental insurance during their meeting Monday night – Photo by Jack Gurner
By Jack Gurner
Reporter
WATER VALLEY – School District finances are back on track, according to the financial report presented to the Board at their meeting Monday night.
District Business Manager Randy Goodwin said that the District Maintenance Fund had an ending cash balance of $416,872.39 as of Aug. 31 and the fund balance was $475,912.19.
The fund balance has gone up nearly $693,000 over the negative balance that was discovered during the 2008 audit. That deficit triggered a spending freeze last November by the State Department of Education.
The almost half a million fund balance puts the District well on its way toward meeting the provisions of House Bill 1170. The bill requires that Districts must have an ending fund balance equal to or more than seven percent of the total revenue deposited into the fund during that fiscal year.
That goal will be reached this year if there are no more cuts. “It will be met and exceeded,” Goodwin said.
He also informed the Board that auditors were scheduled to begin fieldwork for the 2009 audit Tuesday morning and that the 2010 audit would follow soon after. Board members agreed they wanted the auditors to report results directly to the Board.
Following the financial report and payment of claims, Phillip Kennedy of Kennedy Financial Services made a dental and vision insurance presentation to the Board.
Kennedy explained that the District’s current plan is about to go up by 12.5 percent. “What we’re proposing to do is hold the rate steady,” he said. “The benefits are equal to or greater.”
Superintendent Dr. Deborah Moran had asked for the presentation to the board because she was not comfortable making the “all or nothing” decision for the District’s employees.
After 24 minutes of presentation and a question and answer session, the Board voted to approve the change to the new company. However, after discovering that other companies would not be allowed to offer plans at the schools, the Board rescinded the vote later in the meeting.
Among other actions at the third Monday meeting, the Board of Trustees;
• Accepted a donation of $600 for the adopt a classroom program from Mechanics Bank.
• Disposed of two non-working portable radios.
• Approved Pickering Environmental for the three-year Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) re-inspection.
• Heard the Superintendent’s report from Dr. Moran.
She said that Mississippi had applied for and will be receiving $97.8 million in federal stimulus money for education. However, the school had not received a letter from Gov. Barbour reminding Superintendents that the money could only be used to hire or rehire employees.
Dr. Moran told the Board that Progress Reports were sent home on Sept. 9. And, she reported that she had met with Youth Court officials about having students involved with the Court working on community service projects.
She added that she had found a lot of support for the schools during recent elementary level parent breakfast meetings.
Board member Casey Washington asked Moran about attendance. “Our attendance is looking OK, not great,” she responded. “We’re predicting that it’s at 95 percent.”
Washington also asked about the graduation rate and what programs were available to keep young people in school. Moran said that she had met with some people working with the First Baptist Church mentoring program. And, she had spoken with Dr. Kitchen about the high school completion index.
Washington brought up the football field clean up and asked if any students had been recruited for the task.
“We had ten students with the Beta Club volunteer for this past Friday to clean up,” Moran answered. “We were really pleasantly surprised with Mrs. True and her Beta Club stepping forward and helping.”
• Entered executive session to discuss a personnel issue and two student expulsions.
• Adjourned. The next regular session of the Board will be on Oct. 4 beginning at 6:30.
