Catoosa County Public Schools staff reported Aug. 5 that a partnership with staffing firm Kelly is providing substitutes and filling custodial, paraprofessional and child‑nutrition vacancies while the district completes hiring, and administrators presented preliminary June 2025 financial statements and a recommendation to increase out‑of‑county tuition.

Staffing update: A district staff member overseeing the Kelly partnership said the vendor has supplied about 100 screened substitutes and roughly 40 Kelly employees are currently working across child nutrition, paraprofessional and custodian roles; the figure may rise as vacancies are filled. The district said Kelly conducts pre‑screening and that principals interview candidates before the district performs background checks. The district expects Kelly to place an account manager on site to serve as the day‑to‑day contact; that person will be employed by Kelly but housed in a district office.

Financial update: A district finance presenter said the June 2025 preliminary general fund figures show roughly $127 million in year‑to‑date revenue and about $123 million in year‑to‑date expenditures, leaving a fund balance of about $6 million; staff said year‑end accrual adjustments could change the final FY25 figures when books are closed in August or early September. For the E‑SPLOST capital project fund, staff reported a fund balance of about $7.7 million and for debt service a fund balance in the neighborhood of $9.07 million. The finance presenter also summarized recent legislative items that could affect district funding, including the state’s School Voucher (Georgia Promise) actions and state health‑insurance employer cost increases noted by the presenter.

Out‑of‑county tuition proposal: District staff recommended increasing the annual out‑of‑county tuition rate from $400 to $1,500 for new out‑of‑county enrollments, saying $1,500 more closely reflects median local property tax contributions and reduces subsidization of nonresident students by local taxpayers. Staff said about 40 out‑of‑county students are currently enrolled; current students would not be affected by the change, and the increase would apply to new enrollments upon board approval.

Board action and next steps: The superintendent recommended the board approve a consent agenda that included the June financial report and E‑SPLOST report, human resources recommendations and related items; the transcript shows a motion and a second on the consent agenda and recorded a motion and second on the October board‑date change and other consent items. The transcript does not contain a recorded roll‑call vote on the consent agenda or the out‑of‑county tuition recommendation. Staff said they will continue to monitor legislative and funding developments and will finalize FY25 closing numbers after accruals are recorded.

Distinction of roles: Staff cautioned that the Kelly account manager will be a Kelly employee, not a district hire, and explained the vendor relationship and principal vetting process. Staff also noted that the June financials are preliminary and subject to standard year‑end accrual adjustments required by state accounting rules.

Sources: District staff presentations on Aug. 5, including the Kelly partnership update, June 2025 preliminary financials and the out‑of‑county tuition recommendation.