Board of Education presents $2,000,009.88 local funding request; commissioners press on RIF and capital priorities

The Gates County Board of Education on Monday presented a final local funding request trimmed to "$2,000,009.88," and told county commissioners that some items could not be included as recurring local expenditures because the state classifies Chromebooks as capital assets.

Byron, chair of the board of education, said the board had worked "very diligently and very hard to curb and cut our budget down" and that the request now includes a capital outlay sheet with prioritized items, including a $200,000 item and a $100,000 item allocated for Chromebooks. "Chromebooks for the state are classified as a capital asset, and therefore they not could not be put in the local funding," Byron said.

Commissioners asked for detail. One commissioner requested confirmation whether the capital outlay list was presented in priority order; Byron pointed to accompanying packet materials and a letter documenting how principals prioritized proposed spending. Commissioners also pressed the board on a superintendent salary line that Byron said had been reduced from a previously requested $64,000 to $50,000.

The board discussed a recent reduction in force (RIF) and the criteria that guided it. Byron said licensure and a set of five criteria were used to determine which positions would be preserved and which would be eliminated, and that the school board had been provided positions rather than employee names when making cuts. "We were only given a position. Okay?" Byron said, and added that the board later voted unanimously to approve the RIF after additional review.

When asked whether the RIF disproportionately affected particular racial groups, Byron said that "probably 60% of it represented African American" before adding that race or color was "not... used and justified" as criteria in the decision. The board also reported losing roughly half of a previously available behavioral-support grant after state changes to prioritization points, leaving the district with about $50,000 instead of a prior $100,000 award.

County commissioners said they appreciated the board's work trimming the request but sought more documentation ahead of a joint work session. Chair Emily Truman said staff would supply numbers showing what the county budget would look like without proposed additional positions and noted a work session scheduled for June 3 to review staffing, positions and budget assumptions.

The presentation closed with Byron inviting commissioners and the public to call with questions and with commissioners thanking the board for its diligence.

What happens next: Commissioners will review the school request alongside county budget alternatives at a recessed work session on Wednesday, June 3, where staff will provide alternative staffing scenarios and supporting documentation.