Board approves FY27 general fund budget after second reading

The Cherokee County School Board of Trustees approved the second and final reading of the FY27 general fund budget at its June 8 meeting, voting unanimously to adopt the $109,191,599 total expenditure budget recommended by administration.

The finance presenter (identified as the finance director) reviewed changes since the first reading, including the addition of several full‑time equivalent positions—a media assistant at Beadle Elementary; drama and art and music teachers at several elementary and middle schools; an academic interventionist and a discipline secretary; a 1‑on‑1 teacher for visually impaired students; and a compliance coordinator in student services. The presenter said reclassification of several utility and trash accounts, and allocation of CERDP 4K salaries to a non‑general fund source, reduced the general‑fund salary line compared with the first reading. "We took the conservative salary projection approach," the finance director said, and described coding changes for electricity and trash that shifted expenses into the correct object codes.

Trustees pressed for details on employee raises and classroom staffing. The finance director explained teachers will receive a state‑mandated step plus a 3% adjustment, producing an effective increase of about 3.5%–5% depending on placement in the schedule; assistant principals and principals will receive a 4% adjustment. When asked about hiring contingencies if enrollment exceeds thresholds, the presenter said state funding is adjusted retroactively and FTEs can be added during the year to maintain target ratios.

Chair (speaker 1) called for the motion to approve; the motion was moved and seconded and the chair announced the vote was unanimous. The administration had recommended a fund‑balance supplement to balance the FY27 budget; the finance presenter discussed several avenues to recover fund balance, including enrollment increases, expenditure reductions, and program adjustments. The administration did not provide a single consolidated dollar figure in the public presentation beyond the $109,191,599 total-expenditure line; questions about the exact fund‑balance supplement wording as read in the meeting packet were discussed during the presentation.