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Asheville City Schools board approves budget amendments and interim appropriations to keep operations running
Summary
At its year-end meeting the Asheville City Schools Board approved budget amendments, reviewed an expenditure report that showed a $12.29 million balance across funds, and authorized interim appropriations after the state budget remained unresolved.
The Asheville City Schools Board of Education approved a package of budget resolutions and amendments and authorized interim appropriations to allow operations to continue while the state budget remains pending.
Heidi, a district finance staff member, presented the budget amendment and an expenditure report and told the board the document was less complete than usual because the meeting was moved earlier than the typical year-end close. The board asked for future scheduling closer to June 30 to give staff time to finish closeout entries for auditors. Heidi said the district’s current “grand total” across funds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 is $12,291,959.52 and explained that not all of those funds count as the operating general fund balance.
“He said to start without him,” the chair said at the start of the meeting; Heidi then summarized the status of individual funds: fund 2 and fund 8 hold local funds; fund 3 contains federal grant dollars that often carry over; and fund 4 is capital with encumbrances tied to summer maintenance projects that will carry into next fiscal year. Heidi warned that the figure shown is not the money fully available next year because of encumbrances and scheduled summer work and said staff will continue adjusting entries this week and into July and August for the auditor.
Board members asked for clarification about the relationship between the $12.29 million figure and the amount commonly discussed as the general fund balance. Heidi explained the distinction and described steps staff would take to “expand” fund 1 down toward zero in accordance with state parameters. A board member asked whether principals would receive usable budgets in August; Heidi said school- and department-level budgets would be prepared over the summer and would not simply be “interim.”
Because the North Carolina General Assembly had not finalized a state budget, the board also considered and adopted a standard interim spending resolution. Heidi summarized the effect: operations will continue without pay increases, step increases or other pay bumps until the district receives final state guidance. The board then voted to approve the document titled “Budget Resolution and Amendments” and separately authorized interim appropriations for fiscal year 2025–2026 to pay salaries and ordinary expenses until the formal fiscal-year budget is adopted.
Votes: The motion to approve the budget resolution and amendments passed by voice vote with all members voting in favor. The motion authorizing interim appropriations also passed unanimously.
Staff and next steps: Heidi and district leadership will continue adjustments through the week and into July and August for final auditor entries and will return to the board in August with more complete fund-balance information.
Ending: The board moved to the next agenda item after approving the fiscal motions and receiving staff direction to complete closeout entries and provide updated figures to the board over the summer.
