Summerville Journal Scene ®
Shortly after they were informed another $1 million might be cut from Dorchester District 2’s budget, the school board scheduled a workshop to discuss how to make up for what could soon be $7 million in budget cuts this year.
At Monday’s board meeting, Chief Financial Officer Allyson Duke told the school board she would soon provide them with proposals for dealing with the budget cuts.
District officials scheduled a Nov. 23 budget workshop, which will be held prior to a regularly scheduled board meeting, to discuss how to offset the shortfall.
Duke said last week – prior to Monday’s news that the state may cut another $1 million from the budget – that district officials would have to consider furloughs because the budget had been slashed $6 million. She said if furloughs were enforced, she hoped it would be for only one or two days.
The budget shortfall the district has seen this year follows $9 million in cuts last year and is attributed to a decline in both state revenues as well as a shortfall realized in local tax revenues.
During Monday’s forum for public comments, the Rev. Gralin Nix Hampton, who said he was representing an aspect of the faith community, urged officials to exhaust all options prior to furloughing employees.
“We base this strong request on the fact that we feel as it relates to the total community and maybe even society that professional educators are not compensated well enough as it is,” Hampton said. “We could not find any good reason for using furloughs or pay cuts. It affects morale and sometimes productivity so we wanted to at least go on record with the leaders of DD2.”
The budget workshop is set for Nov. 23 at 5 p.m. at the Dorchester District 2 offices, 102 Greenwave Blvd., Summerville. The workshop is open to the public.
In other news, prior to Monday’s board meeting, Dorchester District 2 officials were presented with an audit report review for the year that ended June 30. The district was found to be in a state of “reasonable financial condition,” according to accounting firm Greene Finney & Horton (GF&H).
The audit was an unqualified opinion from GF&H, confirming that the financial statements were prepared fairly.
Certified public accountant Bruce Illsley told district officials that the undesignated fund balance, which currently sits at $9.5 million or 6.8 percent of 2009 operating expenditures, is low.
“That’s getting bare bones,” Illsley said. “Nobody’s adding to their fund balance right now, but you want to keep that on your radar.”
General fund revenues increased about $400,000 over the previous year to $130.8 million, which was the product of $3.2 million in tax revenues offset by a $2.3 million decrease in state revenues and a $400,000 decrease in investment earnings, Illsley said.
General fund expenditures increased $11 million to $140 million primarily due to $11.7 million in higher salaries and benefits offset by a $1.1 million decrease in operations. The district’s expenditures remain $400,000 under budget, according to Illsley.
Contact Michael Tannebaum at 873-9424 ext. 215 or mtannebaum@journalscene.com
Journalscene.com ® is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Journalscene.com ® does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Journalscene.com ®. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by reading our terms and conditions, and then signing up below!
cut boards salary. they did not used to get paid.
Posted by: over-paid
- Most Viewed
- Most Commented
- Finding Mudville: Everything’s amazing
- McKissick given Shula award
- Local hunters’ story wins film award
- Parkway planning revived
- Researchers decode cancer mysteries with local funding
- Benton guilty, receives life sentence
- Teen mom charged with child neglect
- Smith Says: Purse-preparedness
- Benton trial under way
- Fanfare for the Common Man: It’s the shoes
- Bryngelson seeks House 97 seat (0)
- Lady Green Wave picks up big non-region win (0)
- Wrestling takes off at Ridge Christian Academy (0)
- Swamp Fox infielder signs with USC Sumter (0)
- Up to the Challenge (0)
- Choice gymnasts place in Irmo (0)
- Briefs (0)
- Patriots slip by Beaufort; Warriors best Green Wave (0)
- Lady Swamp Foxes take a shot at Colleton (0)
- Swamp Foxes hold off Cougar rally (0)
- Santee Cooper announces 2012 refunding bond sale
- Santee Cooper announces organizational changes in operation and finance departments
- Santee Cooper employees pitch in on Day of Caring
- Aerial herbicide treatment on lakes under way
- Santee Cooper Board Authorizes Rate Study
- Santee Cooper announces refunding bond sale
- Santee Cooper, Florida Municipal Power Agency enter into letter of intent for share of planned V.C. Summer Station units
- Santee Cooper, Duke Energy Carolinas enter into letter of intent for share of planned V.C. Summer Station units 2 and 3