AG19900326 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

,. . MAR ~ ~ '~u March 22, 1~90 To: The Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners Frsm: Connmissiener Simmons, School Bmard Llason Enclosed are several documents for your review. I think it is important that we give the county manager direction about what we expect in the county's budget for current expense in the next fiscal year, The next fiscal year's budget is expected to be a fairly tight one. Since the school's current expense budget is a large item, we must plann for it I ~eoommend to 'the board that we give the county manager the direction to include a $2.3 million increase for current expense budget for the two school sys{ems as part of the county's balanced budget. This should bring us close bo the state average funding. At that time we can consider the merits of each area of requested increase and it's justification without throwing the entire budget out of balance by adding things back in. I have listed below my reasons for making these recommendations: tn 198~ our school system stood at $105 per student below the state average. In I98~ we fell to $123. ~n 1988 we fell to $1~0 and in 1989 we fell to $151 below the state average.. '£his amounts to $2.5 million less per year our school boards have had which to operate. The ~agnitude of this difference is even more dramatic when you consider that in ~1Q88 our school systems stood at $?.5 million a year below the national average of state and local current expense funds, This kind of budgetary shortfall has had a dramatic effect upon the quality of classroom materials available, the salaries of school employees, and the maintenance for school buildings, Recent figures show that the Cabarrus County System spends $~38,000 a year less on maintenance than the average school system of its size in the state. If we continue this trend of inadequate maintenance of our buildings, we will need another major school bond issue in the future. Recent figures also show that our system spends $350,000 less on Janitorial and operational expenses, We should spend enough money to keep our children's schools as clean as we keep our county courthouse and other county facilities. Exhibit #1 shows the leadership rol~ the Gaston County Board of Commissioners took in providing i.ncreased funds to their local school system, It was well received by the public. I feel we need to take the same leadership role in improving our school system in this year's budget,