Sumter School District reports roughly 41% of general-fund revenue collected through Jan. 31

Sumter School District Chief Finance Officer Shatika Spearman reported to the finance committee that, through Jan. 31, 2025, the district had collected $67,244,759 in general-fund revenue, representing a 41.02% collection of the fiscal-year budget.

Spearman told the committee the district’s fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30 and that local revenue had a budget of $36,914,444 with roughly $9 million collected (about 24.39%). She said state aid to classrooms remained budgeted at $88,426,464 and that collections on that line were approximately $42,962,817, or about 48% of that budget. "We are sitting at a collection of 67,244,759, which represents a 41.02% collection," Spearman said.

The nut graf: the update matters because the district is slightly ahead of last year’s pace in total dollars collected while expenditures are also running ahead of revenue at this point in the fiscal year; Spearman projected an ending general-fund balance of $59,199,234 given current receipts and spending.

In discussion, Spearman summarized major revenue and expenditure lines: Impact Aid receipts of $179,069 (about 59% of that line), and a transfer/indirect-cost collection of $2,800,000 driven by timing of allowable ESSER-related expenditures. On expenditures she said regular salaries year to date were higher than last year ($38,408,000 this year versus $32,449,000 at the same point last year) reflecting salary increases and additional positions.

Committee members pressed for details on several lines. Member Brian Austin asked whether fund-modification transfers (fund 710) covered items beyond athletics; Spearman replied that fund modifications include “anything that the general fund supports,” such as transfers to other funds and payments of interest on liabilities. On security spending (line 395, other professional services), Spearman said the district budgeted about $1.2 million this year (up from a prior $656,000) for contracted security services and SROs and that some state grant funding helps local law enforcement pay for officers but “the majority of security is a responsibility of the school district.”

On pupil transits (line 720), Spearman said year-to-date payments to other districts were about $13,007.99 compared with $24,993 at the same point in the prior year; Dr. William T. Wright Jr., the superintendent, said he hoped lower transit payments reflect improved student retention but declined to state a definitive cause.

Spearman summarized fund-balance math: beginning fund balance July 1 was $61,191,072 and, with current revenue and expenditures, the projected ending fund balance was $59,199,234. "That means we've spent about 48.34% of our expenditure budget to date," she said, noting that this is typical for month seven of the fiscal year.

Ending: The committee asked follow-up questions about several line items and requested a more detailed presentation of fund 710 transfers at a future meeting. Chair Tara Couser Johnson closed the finance-update discussion and the meeting later approved the consent agenda by unanimous consent.