The White County School Board will send a $42 million general purpose school budget to County Commissioners for final approval.
Board of Education Chair Bob Young said the approved budget includes a deficit of approximately $4 million. Officials expect to offset that once federal program funding is released in the fall. Young said the board prioritized instructional spending, with 96 percent of the proposed expenditures dedicated to direct instruction and student support services.
“The district is doing extremely well,” Young said. “And that’s done collectively across the district with all teachers, staff, administrators. They are all performing well, and our director is performing well too.”
Young said 80 percent of general funding for schools comes from the state, with 19 percent provided by local taxes. The new budget includes raises for school personnel.
The board voted to amend the budget to increase the director of schools’ salary to $123,050, representing a 7 percent increase from the current base pay.
Board member Jayson McDonald said the district currently pays its director at a rate comparable to much smaller school systems despite White County serving roughly 3,600 students. McDonald said the board must consider future recruitment needs as the current director’s contract is set to expire in December 2027.
“If he decides not to want his contract extended, I promise you we’re not going to get in the ballpark and hire anybody for this position at what we’re at now,” McDonald said. “100 percent, we’re not gonna be able to entice somebody to come in here, whether we promote from within or whether we go outside. We’re not gonna bring somebody into White County with the exceptional school district that we got and stay at $117,300.”
“I see your point, I really do, but we got a lot of people struggling in our county,” School Board Member Tracy Fowler said. “And I mean, I had a few phone calls this week, but, yeah, I don’t agree.”
“I think in all good conscience, if we’re only giving the teachers 3.5 percent, if we’re doubling that, I think that’s saying a lot,” Board Member Sherrie Stone said. “But if we can only afford to give them that much, I don’t see it. Like Mr. McDonald said, I think we’re going to take a lot of negative feedback if we try to jump 12 percent. And like he said, we can’t get it all in one year, and this is not the best economy to be talking about that kind of raise, in my opinion.”