Wheeler BOE Adopts FY25 Budget
The Wheeler County Board of Education, in its regular session on June 10, adopted a FY2025 budget reflecting $14.5 million in anticipated expenditures and $14.37 million in anticipated revenues to be buoyed by $3.4 million in projected fund equity through the end of the fiscal year.
The bulk of the budget is allocated to instructional expenses with $7,058,215, to be paid from the system’s general fund and $911,595 to be paid from special revenue.
The budget calculates that $2.3 million in revenues will come from local property taxes, and $8.5 million will be funded through QBE. The remainder of revenue will come from other local receipts, and federal and state resources.
The Board also passed a resolution certifying the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax resolution, which passed overwhelmingly in a May 21 special election. The measure will continue a one-cent sales and use tax to finance capital outlay projects and retire previously incurred debt in the Wheeler County School District. The sales tax currently being collected in the county began on April 1, 2021, and is anticipated to reach its collection maximum prior to its expiration on March 31, 2026. Drainage Issues, Field Lights In other business the Board approved going forward with a drainage project at the Wheeler County School playground area. The work will involve removing a portion of the sidewalk, installing a storm drain to connect to the current drainage system, installing a new concrete curb/flume, and replacing sidewalk for a rough, initial estimate of $16,000. After that work is complete, sod and irrigation will be installed on a sloped portion of the playground to assist with water retention and to prevent further issues with playground mulch washing and covering drains. This portion of the project is expected to cost $12,500. The work will be financed through the system’s capital projects fund.
A proposed project for supplying additional lighting at the school baseball/ football field began with placing a request for proposals on the state procurement registry, which will allow interested parties to submit proposals for the work. At this point, an estimate of the cost of the project is unknown since the submitted pricing will determine the scope of the project.
Personnel Approvals
The Board approved the following personnel recommendations: Employing Ty Vann and Taylor Stewart as teachers, and Katlin Brown as a paraprofessional at Wheeler County Elementary School (WCES).
Hiring Trevor Hor ton as a teacher at Wheeler County Middle School (WCMS) and transferring Jennifer Conner as a teacher at WCES to WCMS.
Approving Jennifer Green-Sullivan and Jaci Hill as substitute instructors, and approving the employment of Alicia Newsome as a bus driver.
Approving Drew Col lins to coach golf with a salary supplement of $1500.
The Board also approved changes in Maintenance and Operations by naming Brad Williams as Assistant Director to perform additional duties, including after-hours calls, with a $5,000 salary supplement. The Board also approved adding Daniel Johnson as an employee in the Maintenance Department.
The next Board session will be held on Monday, July 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the Board office in Alamo.
