Board Approves Spending Resolution

The Gilmer County Board of Education (BOE) had its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 12th. During the meeting the BOE approved its April 2012 financial report, a July 2012 spending resolution, and discussed current construction work being done over the summer.In the meeting on Tuesday, Superintendent Brian Dorsey read the April financial report before the BOE approved the budget because Julie Swindel, the BOE’s financial director was out of town.

Dorsey explained while reading the financial report that 83.33 percent of the school’s fiscal year budget for their General Fund was now complete, and the budget had a total expenditures rate of 70.23 percent. Total Revenue budgeted for the month of April included $2,799,905 while Total Revenue received was $1,814,387. Dorsey said that one of the reasons for this large gap in the budget this year is because of how the BOE is being charged for insurance. Currently, the Georgia Department of Education is now making payments for schools directly to the Department of Community of Health on behalf of school employee health insurance. Previously, the Georgia Department of Education made health insurance payments directly to the school, and because of this, many school budgets are prooving to be different than what they appear.

Also when discussing the financial report, Dorsey said that the BOE was still waiting to hear back from its tax digest, which is why the BOE had to approve a July 2012 Spending Resolution this month. Dorsey said that the BOE was expecting a 10 percent drop in its tax digest, but this was not “iron clad”. In addition, Dorsey did say that they were hoping that next year’s budget would be $300,000 to $400,000 lower than this year’s budget.

“We feel like we will be able to cut some things without eliminating any programs or further days reductions.”

said Dorsey. However, Dorsey did say that the BOE would have to use their reserve funds to compensate for the drop they are expecting in the tax digest.

Later in the meeting, the schoolboard did approve a July 2012 Spending Resolution. A spending resolution gives a BOE the ability to take care of any finances that it will may have whenever it does not have fiscal budget complete. Typically, a school will have its budget completed by June 30th, and its budget will cover the months of July through June or a fiscal year.

Also in the meeting, the BOE was updated on current construction projects being done over the summer. Erick Hofstetter, the Gilmer County Schools Facilities Director, told the BOE that as of now a painting project as well as a lighting upgrade to public energy efficient lights at Ellijay Elementary School (EES) is more than halfway done. A total of 711 light fixtures are being upgraded at EES, and at this point the project is about 60 percent complete. Hofstetter also said that recondition and further renovations are continuing to be done at Gilmer Middle School, while some tree maintainence and American Disability Act projects such as wheelchair acessible ramps are being done at Gilmer High School in front of the FFA barn and greenhouse. Lastly, floor stripping was suppose to be completed at Clear Creek Middle School and Mountain View Elementary at the end of last week.

To see last week’s Gilmer BOE meeting in its entirety, please view the video below.