Board approves budget amendment, CTE clinical contract and LINC accounting software
Summary
Board approved budget amendment 1 (state allotment revisions and federal grant increases), a three-year clinical internship contract with Columbus Regional Healthcare System for CTE placements, and the purchase of EMS Link (LINC version 6) accounting software after comparing costs and implementation fees with another vendor.
District finance staff presented a January budget and audit update and proposed Budget Amendment 1, which incorporates 42 state allotment revisions. The amendment increases state expenditures by $453,591 (with matching revenues), recognizes approximately $5,400,000 in federal grant allotments that arrived in November, reallocates local expenditures to cover ancillary services, and increases child nutrition revenues/expenses by $200,000 and special fund revenue/expenditures by about $396,000. The superintendent recommended approval and the board approved Budget Amendment 1 by voice vote.
On curriculum, the board approved a three-year agreement (January 2026–January 2029) between Columbus Regional Healthcare System Clinical Agency and Columbus County High Schools to host CTE internships and clinical placements.
Finance also presented a cost-comparison between two accounting products: EMS Link (LINC version 6) and Syllogis/Syllogys. Staff noted similar year-to-year costs (estimated LINC ~$37,300/year vs. Syllogis ~$38,900/year averaged), but a substantial difference in implementation fees (LINC ~ $36,800 vs. Syllogis ~ $75,105). Given GAAP-reporting concerns with the alternative vendor and widespread LINC adoption among North Carolina LEAs, staff recommended EMS Link. The board approved the EMS Link quote by voice vote.
The agenda also included approval of several school fundraisers and event-date changes; those items were approved by the board during the meeting.
