Jackson-Madison board approves year-end budget amendments after questions about bus driver stipends and refunds

The Jackson-Madison County School Board voted to approve year-end budget amendments after staff explained increases intended to prevent negative balances in key accounts.

Superintendent Dr. Marlon King told the board the amendments include two "other salary and wages" line items — $352,000 and $48,000 — that cover stipends and extra pay for bus drivers assigned to additional routes, field trips and summer-school duties. "Anytime we're using the bus drivers to go beyond their actual salaries, that's the line that's coming from," Dr. King said during the discussion. He characterized the adjustment as a cushion to avoid going negative and to prevent audit findings, not a finalized estimate of actual final spending.

Board members pressed staff for detail about the transportation lines and asked whether the amendments would draw on fund balance. Dr. King said the changes largely reflect timing and one-time costs and "pretty much everything here looks like it was covered with onetime cost," adding the amendment "is just to give you some cushion so when we do finish the year" there are funds available for remaining events and summer obligations.

The amendment package also adds a $126,000 miscellaneous refunds revenue line and records other revenue and contributions entries described in the packet. Staff explained these are revenue-side adjustments to match expense movements and that the changes appear to be a wash rather than requiring transfers from fund balance.

After clarifications, a board member moved to approve the year-end amendments, a second was received, and the motion passed by voice vote.

The board held no public comments at the meeting and adjourned after additional routine business.