School board passes

$13.7 million budget
By Scott Nicholson

The Watauga County Board of Education approved a recommended local budget of $13.7 million for the next fiscal year, a slight decrease from the previous year.

Schools finance officer Ly Marze presented the recommended budget, saying it was the culmination of many hours of work. “In light of the economy we wanted to make sure we were prudent with this budget and I believe we can hold our heads high with this proposal to the county government,” she said.

Marze said many recurring line items had been reduced but teaching positions had been protected. She said many state allocations would also be reduced this year, but the budget would also ease pressure on the county government.

The budget recommendation includes an allocation for Two Rivers Community School, a charter school that by law receives the same per-pupil allocation as the regular school system.

That accounts for a $328,000 line item that previously was funded through the school system’s fund balance.

The operating budget, which covers cost of personnel and some support programs, is proposed at $13,025,000, an increase of $219,000. Personnel is projected to increase 1.6 percent, with cuts in travel, supplies and instructional fees. The overall school budget, including state and federal sources, will be about $48 million.

School board chairman Lowell Younce said there would be no additional teaching supplements this year but the employees are greatly appreciated and would understand why supplements would remain the same.

Teacher and staff supplements are budgeted at about $1.7 million for the next fiscal year.

Marze said there would be a slight decrease in operating expenses if the charter-school funding were removed, and the capital outlay budget would decrease 27 percent as proposed. Cuts to the Exception Children’s Services of $100,000 and $60,000 for an at-risk children’s program in middle school would largely be offset by federal funds. The final local school budget must be approved by the county commissioners.

Schools superintendent Marty Hemric said the school year is scheduled to end Friday, June 5. Hemric said the state budget should be submitted soon and said there were still no federal guidelines on education money included in the stimulus package.

Mike Kesterson, project manager for Barnhill/Vannoy, said the new high school was 52 percent complete. He said there had been no accidents reported and the construction work was 36 days ahead of schedule.

The school board also discussed the town of Boone’s plan to place a raw water intake, with the town seeking additional support for the proposal. The town wants to draw up to 4 million gallons per day from the New River near the Brownwood community and town voters passed a $25 million bond referendum to construct the plant and water lines.

School board member Steve Combs said water was necessary for jobs in the community and growth in the schools. School board member Marsha Walpole said the town might be placed under a moratorium on development without a new water resource. School board members Deborah Miller and Lee Warren said they were concerned about the short notice of the request, finding out over the weekend that the town would be asking for the school board’s support.

Younce said he recognized everyone wouldn’t support the intake, but water was necessary for better schools. The board voted to table discussion until the May meeting.

2009 schools spelling champion Cameron Hastings was recognized by the school board. Allison Garrett, a teacher at Watauga High School and leader of the DECA business club, said students had the opportunity to participate in marketing competitions. Garrett was awarded the Kenneth W. Smith Award for professional development.

Jessica Lawrence and Daniel Miller were recognized for participating in the North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association competition and winning first place, receiving $12,000 scholarships and tools and will go on to national competition in New York.