District needs $100K more per year from the county
Robbinsville – Graham County Schools came away from an annual audit on Tuesday with a crisp, clean report but one problem less bookkeeping and more funding: the district is operating “paycheck to paycheck.”
The assessment originated from Adam Scepurek, a CPA for Anderson Smith & Wike, who delivered annual audit results to the school board during its meeting on Tuesday, and was later echoed by schools Chief Finance Officer Lester Greene, who presented the annual budget for approval.
“It’s a good audit report,” Scepurek told the board, but the district is operating on a very narrow margin.
“You need an extra $100,000 from the county each year,” he said. “Costs go up. Inflation is real.”
The school board approved a $22.88 million budget for fiscal year 2021-22 during Tuesday’s meeting. If that seems a little late (the fiscal year began last summer), it’s because the state didn’t finalize its own budget until late November.
One account revealed in the audit had a balance of $13,689, which is essentially zero when weighed against a multi-million-dollar budget, Scepurek said.
“That’s a very low number,” Scepurek said. “… With county appropriations low, it’s a difficult trend when costs are going up.”
To help make ends meet, the school district moved $103,000 from its general unassigned balance to fund general expenditures.
The school district receives funding from numerous government sources, much of which is restricted in how it can be spent. Lottery money goes to facilities and not payroll, for example. Other funding sources, such as COVID relief, are temporary.
“My fear is that in 2024 we will rely on services and the funding will go away,” Graham County Schools Superintendent Angie Knight said.