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Colleton board approves first reading of 2025–26 budget after executive session; plan shows $1.78 million deficit
Summary
The Colleton County School District board approved the first reading of the 2025–26 budget after tabling the measure and returning from executive session. The draft holds the current 116.42 millage rate, budgets a state-mandated $1,500 pay-scale increase for certified staff, projects $58.4 million in revenue and a $1,776,888 deficit.
The Colleton County School District Board of Trustees approved the first reading of its fiscal 2025–26 budget after returning from executive session, voting 5–2 in favor of the first draft.
The move follows an earlier vote at the same meeting to table the budget until after executive session (5–2). Trustees subsequently removed that tabling motion from the table and proceeded to consider the first-reading draft.
Superintendent Jessica Williams told the board the draft is based on the House Ways and Means proposal and maintains the district's current operations millage of 116.42. The budget document presented projects $58,438,309 in revenue and shows a projected deficit of $1,776,888. Williams said the budget includes the state-required increase of $1,500 for every cell on the certified teacher salary scale; the district must fund 25 percent of that increase, with the state funding the other 75 percent.
Board finance staff highlighted that roughly 88 percent of the district's expenditures go to salary and fringe benefits, with the remaining 11 percent covering utilities, insurance and other operating costs. Williams and finance staff said the district is also projecting reduced state classroom aid tied to Average Daily Membership (ADM) declines; the presentation noted a decline in student counts between the 45-day and 135-day reports that is expected to reduce state aid by roughly $1.1 million.
Trustees discussed the draft budget's deficit and the need for human-resources clarification before a final vote. Trustee comments referenced the board's conversations with county council about local funding. After debate, the board approved the first reading 5–2.
What happens next: the first reading means staff will continue to monitor state action on the budget, make adjustments as needed during the legislative process, and bring a revised budget for a second reading before final adoption.
Votes and key motions: the meeting recorded a motion to table the budget until after executive session (passed 5'to'2), a motion to take the tabled item off the table (passed 6'to'1), and a final motion to approve the first reading (passed 5'to'). Specific roll-call names were not recorded in the transcript; tallies were announced by the chair.
