Haywood County Schools presents recommended $19.37 million budget for 2025-26, outlines capital and nutrition plans

Haywood County Schools officials presented the recommended fiscal year 2025-26 budget during a reconvened budget hearing, laying out operating assumptions, a proposed $1.25 million capital program and a child nutrition budget of $5,558,306.

Dr. Putnam delivered the formal budget message, saying "The mission of Haywood County Schools is to work passionately and productively to support student success," and framed the budget around recruiting and retaining employees, limiting expansion in the local current expense budget and adjusting for the loss of one-time federal funding and declining enrollment.

The recommended budget document covers six funds: state public school (fund 1), local current expense (fund 2), federal grants (fund 3), capital outlay (fund 4), child nutrition (fund 5) and local restricted funds (fund 8). The presenters said anticipated total local and county revenues were $18,654,130 and a fund-balance appropriation of $719,483.75 would bring estimated expenditures to $19,373,617.75.

Budge…