Caswell County Board of Education approves budget amendments to shore up after-school care, child nutrition and civic center operations

The Caswell County Board of Education voted to approve multiple budget amendments and routine items at its June meeting, including transfers to cover a shortfall in before- and after-school care, a $60,000 appropriation for child nutrition, accounting entries for the annual bus lease and smaller transfers to cover charter-school expense codes. The board also discussed operational losses at the Civic Center and clarified early-release dismissal-time language for the district calendar.

Board members approved a resolution honoring Naomi Heath Slaughter, and the board recognized the service of Austin Morris, identified in the meeting as the district HR director, on his final day.

Why it matters: Board approvals change how district funds are allocated for operations and services used by families — including before/after-school care and school meals — and the Civic Center's ongoing deficit has implications for local fund balance and future fee decisions.

Most immediate decisions

- The board approved "budget amendment number 7," a transfer of roughly $5,000 to cover a shortfall in before- and after-school care payroll and benefit costs. Staff said the June payroll (processed June 18) pushed the program temporarily into the red and that benefit costs (including a roughly 24% retirement contribution mentioned in discussion) are a major factor.

- The board approved an appropriation of $60,000 for child nutrition (referenced as budget amendment number 11). Staff and board members discussed that reimbursable meal counts — which drive federal/state reimbursement — vary by school, and that increasing the number of qualifying meals served would improve meal-program revenue. Board members asked staff to review menus, staffing at each site, and other steps to increase reimbursable participation and reduce reliance on local fund balance.

- The board approved budget amendment number 8, an annual journal entry to record bus-lease revenue from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Staff characterized this as a bookkeeping entry that does not move cash into Capital Outlay but must appear on district financial statements.

- The board approved budget amendment number 9, described by staff as an intra-budget transfer to cover charter-school instructional costs by moving amounts between purpose codes; staff said the overall budget and fund balance were not changed.

- The board approved budget amendment number 10 to cover utility and operating costs for the district Civic Center. Staff reported the Civic Center has been operating at a loss and that the Civic Center fund balance has been exhausted; the district had previously moved roughly $31,000 from capital fund balance for bleacher repairs, and operating expenses (utilities, cleaning supplies and staffing) continue to exceed rental revenue.

Board discussion and context

Before/after-school care: Board members pressed staff for details on attendance counts and whether district policy about minimum participation thresholds was being followed. Several board members said some schools have operated programs with only three or four children, below the level discussed previously as required for sustainability. Staff confirmed the $5,000 request would cover June payroll costs and shore up the program; board members asked staff to return with attendance counts, a review of staffing (including use of stipends versus overtime or comp time), and potential fee adjustments for the coming year.

Child nutrition: The board heard that reimbursement depends on students receiving all required meal components and that some schools have lower participation. Staff noted the district previously appropriated a larger amount (board discussion referenced a prior appropriation of about $200,000 in an earlier year) and that turnover, payroll and supply costs have pressured the program this year. Board members asked staff to review menus, meal preparation practices (more scratch cooking was identified as increasing participation in limited instances), site-level staffing levels and potential catering or revenue-generating activities that cafeterias could provide.

Civic Center operations: Board members requested a simple monthly report of Civic Center revenues and expenses and discussed whether rental fees or staffing charges should be adjusted. Staff noted utilities are incurred whether the facility is used, and that some supplies and restroom-paper costs are significant. The board asked for further analysis of rental rates compared to nearby facilities.

Calendar and early-release dismissal times: Staff and board members discussed clarifying the school calendar to state explicit dismissal times for early-release days so the community and staff understand how the three-hour early-release standard is applied given district schools have staggered start and end times (examples cited in discussion: high school and middle-school schedules differ from elementary). Staff said the calendar will be updated to list early-release dismissal times for each school type to avoid confusion and to ensure compliance with state calendar rules.

Other items: The board approved routine items including minutes, the agenda and the consent agenda. The board approved a memorial resolution for Naomi Heath Slaughter and publicly thanked Austin Morris for his service to the district.

What the board directed staff to do

- Provide attendance counts for before/after-school programs and site-level staffing details; review options for comp time vs. overtime and recommend fee or policy changes.

- Produce a monthly Civic Center revenue/expense report and an analysis of rental fees and operating costs.

- Review child-nutrition site staffing, menu options and strategies to increase reimbursable meals; return with recommendations to improve participation and reduce local subsidies.

- Update the official school calendar to specify early-release dismissal times for each school level.

Votes at a glance

- Minutes of June 9: motion approved (second: Miss Blackwood). Recorded as "motion carries" in the meeting record.

- Agenda: approved.

- Consent agenda: approved.

- Resolution honoring Naomi Heath Slaughter: approved (motion/second recorded in meeting notes).

- Budget amendment 6: approved (state funds/CTE adjustments; described by staff as standard end-of-year adjustments).

- Budget amendment 7 (before/after-school care): approved (staff described an approximate $5,000 transfer to cover June payroll/benefits).

- Budget amendment 8 (bus lease journal entry, DPI): approved.

- Budget amendment 9 (charter-school expense code transfer): approved.

- Budget amendment 10 (Civic Center utilities/operations): approved.

- Budget amendment 11 (child nutrition appropriation, $60,000): approved.

All motions referenced in the meeting record were approved by voice or hand vote; the transcript records motions as carried. The meeting record did not provide a full roll-call vote with individual yes/no tallies for each item in every case.

Ending

Board members praised graduates and district programs during brief closing comments and reaffirmed requests for staff follow-up on the fiscal and operational items above. The board then moved into a closed session for personnel matters under North Carolina law.