Davie County Board approves 2025–26 operating budget, hears clean audit

The Davie County Board of Education voted unanimously Oct. 17 to adopt an operating budget resolution for fiscal year 2025–26 and heard a presentation that the district’s audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025, are in draft form with unmodified ("clean") audit opinions.

Clay Harris, the district’s finance lead, told the board the operating budget presented that evening covers non‑capital funds and is built conservatively amid uncertainty because the state budget has not been finalized. "Our budget for this year is right at $74,000,000," he said, comparing it to the prior‑year audit total near $76,500,000. The board approved the resolution by voice vote after a motion from Mister Jones and a second from Stephanie, with the board recording a 7‑0 vote.

The board also received a summary of the draft audited financial statements from Andy Deal, partner at Anderson, Smith & White. Deal said the firm could not issue final audited statements until federal OMB compliance supplements are released but expected no changes. He reported a general fund balance of about $3.3 million at June 30, 2025, and a modest $228,000 decrease in the general fund for the year. "For a district your size, you know, you’re doing great," Deal said, calling the unmodified audit and clean compliance reports "really positive for the school district." He described child nutrition cash flows as roughly breakeven despite statewide pressures from food costs and mandated wages.

Votes at a glance: the board recorded unanimous 7‑0 votes on several routine items during the meeting, including approval of minutes from the previous meeting, the consent agenda, the budget resolution, declaration of surplus property, acceptance of an offer to purchase surplus property (subject to statutory steps), approval for RISE Collective to use district activity buses for a nonprofit holiday camp, selection of the board chair as the district’s voting delegate to the North Carolina School Boards Association, and adjournment.

The board’s auditor noted longer‑term fiscal pressures such as expiration of COVID‑era ESSER funds and rising state‑set retirement contribution rates that will make maintaining fund balance more difficult unless county or state revenues increase or local costs are reduced. The district and auditor framed the presentation as a positive outcome for the year but urged continued monitoring of pension and retirement cost trends.

The board will consider other items on the November agenda; the audit remains in draft status pending release of federal compliance supplements.