Board of education holds first budget hearing
On Aug. 26, the Vestavia Hills City Schools system held its first of two budget hearings, with Chief Financial Officer Courtney Brown leading the meeting.
Revenues are expected to increase by about $3 million with more money from property taxes and increased state foundation program allocation, which is up by about $2.6 million from last year.
Brown said she anticipates almost $40 million in local revenues, which is mostly property taxes. Total expected revenues for 2020 are set at about $78,500,000, with about $78,900 for budgeted expenditures. Including other transfers in and out, there is about $1.8 million more in expenditures than revenues. However, Brown said that’s due to the school system receiving some revenue in fiscal year 2019, but not spending it until the 2020 fiscal year. With that accounted for, there should be about a $125,000 surplus, Brown said.
The budget also includes a state-mandated 4% raise and step increases for employees, leading to about a $4 million increase in instructional services, and about a $1.2 million increase in operations and maintenance.
The largest revenue areas are instructional services, instructional support, and operations and maintenance, with personnel taking up 79% of expenditures.
Brown said the finance staff and department heads worked to make a more conservative budget this year, bringing general administration and instructional support costs down by about $400,000 each. The system also will have about two months of reserves, Brown said, with the state mandating one month of reserves.
Freeman briefly talked about his capital plans, and said future capital plans would focus on safety, technology, HVAC, the cafeteria and other campus renovations.
In other business, the board of education:
- Approved job descriptions for the following positions: director of maintenance, administrator of supporting programs, assistant director of technology and behavioral counselor.
- Approved a change order for the Berry campus in the amount of $71,470, which encompasses several projects at the campus.
- Approved a change order for work on the visitor bleachers at the football field at Vestavia Hills High School in the amount of $15,480. This is a credit back to the school system.
- Approved the owner-architect agreement with Lathan Associates in the amount of $350,000 for cafeteria renovations at various campuses.
- Approved the renewal of ATBE General Liability/Errors and Omissions Liability Fund Participation, as well as the ATBE Automobile Fund participation.
- Appointed Meredith Hanson as the sick bank committee representative.
- Approved various consent and personnel items.
- Approved minutes from July and August meetings.
The board also went into executive session after the public portion of the meeting, in order to discuss matters of trade and commerce, as well as a matter of safety. City Manager Jeff Downes and Mayor Ashley Curry were included in the executive session, following executive sessions by city council members in the past month as well. No action or vote was taken after executive session.
The next budget hearing was set for Sept. 9 at noon in the board room at the Vestavia Hills Board of Education. The next board of education meeting is set for Sept. 30.