The Carroll County School Board began their meeting with a budget work session where they received some great news. The district at one point was in the negative across the board. They had a negative fund balance, and they had a negative available balance.
Because the district now has a positive balance, it now clears them of another standard.
“We were spending way more money than we had,” Business Manager Brett Reynolds told the board. But, Reynolds delivered some good news. The district is now back in the positive and steps closer to being completely year.
The district has worked tirelessly to rectify all of the violations in the 31-page audit the district received in 2019. COVID halted progress a bit, but the district continued to work through it to clear the violations. And, now they’re steps closer to complete accreditation. One of the violations was that the district had a negative balance across the board.
Superintendent Jim Ray gave the board an update on the district’s probation status. “Released from standard 4.1. This is what we’re left with Standard 4.2, which has not officially been cleared. That was our negative fund balance. When the auditor finishes the fiscal year ‘21 audit, that should clear it. On Standard 4.2, the State can’t clear us until the Office of the State Auditor sends their findings. Standard 4.6 is another financial that should be cleared up once the Fy21 is officially complete and turned in. It should be cleared up.”
Ray said they’re only left with two citations. Standard 4.7, which is a violation the district received because it didn’t have a seven percent fund balance. Right now, Ray said the district is at four percent.
“That’s just gone take a few years to build. Could possibly be a year, but definitely within two years., Standard 15 is professional development citation. MDE has to come back for a visit. Once school starts back, MDE can come back for a visit.”
“A year from now, Mr. [Joey] Carpenter and I will come back to you all and tell you that the district is cleared of all violations and will be able to tell you that we’re off probation,” Reynolds said.
Also, the board approved the 2022-2023 student handbook, but before they approved it, there was a discussion on masks. Incoming Superintendent Joey Carpenter told the board that an added policy is that if a student chooses to wear masks, then they must get one from the school’s office. He and Ray said masks are not mandatory, but if a parent chooses to send their child to school with a masks, they have to get one from the office.
That led to a discussion of face mask for their kids. Trustee Stella Washington-Bell said that some parents have purchased their children designer face masks like Nike and Louis Vuitton as a way to try to create outfits for them.
“What are they going to do with them?” Washington-Bell said.
“They can sell them,” Board President Wiltshire said.
“Who gone buy them? Are you gone buy them? They’ve been wearing their mask. If they’re coming in wearing bandanas in red, blue, representing a gang then I understand,” Washington-Bell said.
“I don’t agree with that and you all don’t have children in the system. I mean I like to switch my mask up with my outfit. It’s very fashionable now. Masks are in. Now we’re going to tell them what color masks they can wear? I mean I don’t understand that,” she said.
Approved the TLS quote for the J.Z. George Library and Marshall Elementary.
Approved the 2022 Ford F150 for the Bus Shop in the amount of $43,000.
Approved the FY2022 16th Section Principal Loan Payment
Approved first payment for 3 mill note
Approved the Food Service Director pay scale
Approved the assistant principal salary schedule.
