Feedback requested on Superintendent's $65 million recommended budget

Superintendent Keith Sutton presented his nearly $65 million budget recommendation to the School Board at their meeting on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

The proposed budget asks Warren County Commissioners for the same amount of money for operating costs that we received this fiscal year, about $5.3 million. The budget includes asking county commissioners for $500,000 for capital outlay funds to address facility needs, an increase of $75,000 from the current fiscal year. We’d use that money to help cover the cost of some major repairs and deep cleaning of our schools and significant improvements to physical education and athletic facilities.

The superintendent's proposed budget addresses funding shortfalls created from the ending of federal ESSER funding, which was provided to help schools recover after the COVID-19 pandemic. The expiration of federal ESSER funding leaves a $2.6 million hole in our budget. At the same time, we expect our expenses to increase next fiscal year due to state pay raises for certified and classified employees, increases in district-paid costs for employees' health insurance, and increases in the costs for utilities.

Superintendent Sutton recommends cutting expenses by eliminating some one-time contracts and cutting or reorganizing some staffing positions to save more than $1 million to help cover the extra costs. He also recommends that we use some of the money we’ve been able to save over the past couple of years to fill in the funding gap.

The Warren County Board of Education is accepting feedback on the budget recommendation online through Friday, May 10, 2024 at noon. There will also be a public hearing at the next School Board meeting on Tuesday, May 14 at 6:00 p.m. in the multipurpose room at Warren County Middle School. After the public hearing, the School Board will vote on the budget during the meeting.