The Andalusia City Schools Board of Education approved the school’s budget for fiscal year 2024 after holding two public hearings this week. The budget was ratified following another public forum on the Thursday of September. 14.
The budget shows total revenues and expenditures of $24.18 million, with less than fifty percent of the revenues being directly from state.
The majority of the money used to fund the school system come from the Education Trust Fund of the state’s Foundation Program. The school system is expected to get $11.15 million from this fund, which is an increment in the amount of 4.6 percent over 2023’s budget.
In total the total, state funds comprise $14.4 million in total, or 58.46 percentage, or 58.46 percent of Andalusia school system’s planned income for the fiscal year of ’24. These funds are used to finance specific school programs, transportation schools, teachers, tech directors and much more.
The budget for expenses of the system is $12.7 million that’s 52.63 percent of the total costs for instructional services which includes teacher wages. Instructional support is next largest expense item, with $3.5 million, with Auxiliary Services costing $2.16 million and Operation and Maintenance budgeted at just below $2.03 million.
It also allocated a little more than $1 million for debt service and $620,000 to fund capital outlay.
Other budgeted revenues include $4.28 of federal tax revenue as well as $4.867 million in local tax revenue.
By way of the Education Trust Fund, the state offers the city schools money for 122.38 employees, with 108.53 of them being teachers. The fund also provides money for counselors, librarians and administrators. Other funds from the state help in the cost of employee salaries which includes the additional 7.27 teachers and certain certified and uncertified support personnel.
Federal funds also provide 4.2 teachers, as well as some funds for administrators as well as non-certified support staff.
Local funds cover three teachers and two administrators.
All in all, the city budget for schools consists of an overall 224 staff members.
The fiscal year of ’24 begins on Oct. 1st, 2023 and closes on September. 30, 2024.
The article Andalusia BOE approves $24 million budget was first published at The Andalusia Star-News.
