The Selma Times-Journal

A general consensus was reached among Dallas County School Board members at their special called meeting Tuesday evening – the school system’s proposed 2007 fiscal year budget is looking good.

Seated in superintendent’s office conference room, school business manager Susan Taylor stressed the budget is subject to change and reviewed numbers with the board.

By state law, Taylor said schools are required to hold two budget hearings per year. The second budget hearing will be held on Monday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. at the superintendent’s office on 429 Lauderdale St. At that time, board members will vote on the proposed budget and conduct their regular meeting.

Holding a hefty packet of papers, Taylor said the school system’s total revenue for the 2007 fiscal year will be approximately

$39,173,273 – most of which are state funds. Total expenditures will come to $37,060,720, leaving the system with $2,112,553. The difference will be placed in a local/general fund, which is used to pay the salary of Superintendent Dr. Fannie Major-McKenzie and other supervisory staff members among other things.

The 2007 fiscal year will begin Oct. 1 and end on Sept. 30, 2007.

Taylor said the school’s ending balance for the 2006 fiscal year – which concludes Sept. 30 – will be $788,476.

Those monies will be placed in the school’s local/general fund. Taylor is projecting the schools will see a $450,000 increase at the end of the 2007 fiscal year, citing an ending balance of $1,238,658.

In drafting the budget Taylor must consider all school operations such as transportation, child nutrition, utilities, personnel salaries, capital projects (which include building improvements), debt services, and fiduciary funds – monies “the schools hold in trusts for clubs and organizations,” Taylor said.

Board members hope they will have a greater difference once the school year gets in gear, announcing the arrival of 25 new school buses. Last year, Taylor said the schools paid “an extremely large amount” on bus parts this fiscal year.

“(Parts) ate us up,” she said.

After admitting the process is tedious, Taylor said she is happy with the numbers her and her staff computed.

“I’m very pleased with how the money looks this year,” she said. Board members nodded in agreement.

Once the budget is approved, the school system must submit its financial documents by Aug. 15, Taylor said.