Does the School Board need a tax increase to meet the needs of the schools? | Eastern NC Now

The answer is clearly: NO

    In the video clip below you hear Superintendent Dr. Don Phipps explain the "current expense" budget request, which is, again, for $13.4 million; $233,704 more than for this school year. He addresses what might be some cuts from the State, most notably being the Low Wealth Funding, but those final allotments from the state have not yet been determined, as he explains.

    But focusing on the local current expense request he explains that the request is essentially to hold on to the level of funding they now have without expecting any major reductions in personnel positions. The additional $233,704 he says is based on what he calls "fixed costs".

    But you will note that he mentions that the FY 2012 proposal is based on 7018 students next year, 44 fewer students than this year, and this year is significantly lower than the peak of 7294 in 2000, with the number of students steadily declining since then.

    Although the handouts do not show it, he does mention, in response to a question from Commissioner Ed Booth, that they anticipate having a fund balance (reserve account) of approximately $1.4 million in Federal Stimulus or "Job Fill" money which is left over from prior years and $1.6 million in local current expense fund balance from prior years with anticipation of increasing that amount to $1.9 million projected for the end of the fiscal year.

    If we understood correctly those numbers he rattled off those numbers mean they have $3.3 million in reserve, which is more than enough to cover even the worst projected state cuts and the increase in "fixed costs." And these numbers do not include any transfer of indirect costs from School Food Service, which possibly would be $250,000. That would make $3.5 million or so available for appropriation, considerably more than enough to avoid a tax increase.



    Publisher's note: We could not attend the combined meeting between the Beaufort County Board of County Commissioners and the Beaufort County Board of Education, so we do appreciative this article from our friends at the Beaufort Observer.