The Carmi White County Unit 5 School Board met Monday night in a Special Session for a hearing on the budget.
A special meeting on the FY 2024 budget was held 15 minutes prior to the regularly scheduled board meeting, going over the figures. Total receipts for all funds are projected at $15.45 million with expenditures of just under $20 million, there is a projected balance of about $22.5 million for all fund accounts.
The board adjourned the budget hearing at 6:52 PM and went immediately after into regular session.
The Consent Agenda was approved. It included a resolution listing the district’s current serious safety transportation hazard approvals; the FY 23 Administrator and Teacher Salary and Benefits Report; leave of absence requests for Demi Beuligmann and Kelsey Rankin, both for 20 days at substitute pay deduction; and $105 in donations to Brownsville School.
In the Superintendent’s report, Jarrod Newell noted that the district’s sixth-day enrollment for the 2023-24 school year was 1,292 – down 24 students from last year’s enrollment of 1,316.
Director of Title 1 Grants and Jefferson Attendance Center Principal Lacey Moore provided an update on grant programs in Unit 5. Many of these grants go to salaries and curriculum. They have received a Teacher Vacancy Grant which helps understaffed districts hire and retain teachers, and are working on getting a mental health grant from the Egyptian Health Department.
Washington Attendance Center Principal Corey Ackerman gave an update on the district’s High Impact Tutoring Grant Program in grades 3-8 and tutoring in grades K-2 using district grant funds. She said it’s the second year for the program, and as of now there are 14 staff members and 44 students involved.
The fiscal Year 2024 Budget was then approved.
The board approved applying for a School Maintenance Project Grant, which is a dollar-for-dollar state matching grant program providing awards to grantees exclusively for the maintenance or upkeep of buildings or structures for educational purposes. The grant is for $50,000 with the board contributing $50,000 from local funds.
Also approved was a review and re-evaluation of a Board Policy on Prevention of and Response to Bullying, Intimidation, and Harassment, with no changes to be made.
The board then went into Closed Session at 7:10 PM for consideration and possible action upon the resignations, employment of new district employees and approval of district volunteers pending background screening for the 2023-242 school year.
