Published: August 22, 2008 05:43 pm         

Economy affects board of education budget next year

By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



The Jefferson County Board of Education will be making some budget changes this year in response to skyrocketing gas prices and the nation’s sluggish economy.

Another negative factor regarding the budget is that the system will receive about $4 million less from the state this year than it did last year, according to board member Karen Smith Nix of Gardendale.

The board will host a public budget hearing on Tuesday and then will vote on the budget on Thursday.

One big change will be the money allotted for fuel.

Nix said the school board will likely double last year’s budgeted amount for diesel fuel for buses.

Last year’s amount was $1.4 million.

Nix said the board would also possibly be adding $2 million to the budget for utility costs, bumping the budget for utilities from $8 million to $10 million.

“The economy is affecting everybody,” Nix said.

By far, most of the board’s proposed budget - 75.4 percent - goes to instruction and instructional support.

The remaining proposed budget is divided as follows:

• 3.30 percent for BOE administrative costs

• 5.92 percent for debt/transfers

• 6.45 percent for transportation

• 8.63 percent for operations and maintenance capital

• 0.30 percent for other

With the state legislature cutting education budgets across the board this year, Nix said the Jefferson County school system will probably continue to employ at least 100 teachers over and above what the state provides for. She said that money will come from the school system’s general fund, which totals more than $281 million.

The public hearing regarding the new budget is scheduled for Tuesday, 5 p.m., at the Central Office Building at 2100 18th St. S.