School board sets plan to cut costs
By Arthur McLean Editor

The Thomasville City Board of Education is still looking at a financial shortfall that is dragging the school system's fund balance below state mandated levels.

State law requires one month's worth of operating funds be held in school coffers at all times. Increased expenses and lower revenue have put the school's fund balance at $138,625 short of that requirement.

School officials continue to point to the Boise tax dispute as the main reason for the shortfall of funding. The Boise shortfall amounts to $276,098. That alone would bring the school system's general fund balance above the state required minimum.

The school board approved a resolution that outlined the following steps in addition to seeking settlement of the Boise tax issue: having all federal funds pay indirect costs at the state approved rate; not replacing a vacated instructional aide position; reassess all locally funded teacher units and noncertified positions to see if any salaries can be absorbed by other funding sources; reduce the number of locally funded teacher units and non-certified positions if they cannot be absorbed by other funding sources; reduce the amount of pass-through funds to the Child Nutrition Program without jeopardizing operations.

When asked about reducing teaching positions, superintendent Vic Adkison said it would be a last resort, and that the school board has a history of letting those reductions happen through attrition (retirements, etc.).

In other business, the board approved the retirement of Lisa Moore, a math teacher at TMS, and the transfer of Gachel Woodard from child nutrition worker at TES to child nutrition manager at TES.

The board also adopted new textbooks for language arts, and driver and safety education.

The board approved a contract with John Osburn Consulting to perform an assessment of Adkison's job performance.

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