By: Charles Romans
Carter County Times
The first item on the Carter County Board of Education’s agenda last Monday (August 18) was recognizing those involved with the very successful summer feeding program. Acting Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Fraley voiced her excitement for it being her first such recognition.
“The Summer Feeding Program is something we are so absolutely fortunate to have in our district,” Fraley said.
The superintendent pointed out that everyone involved in the program, both staff and volunteers, had invested a lot of hard work to make it such a success.
“They worked so hard over the summer to serve 222,497 meals,” Fraley told the board. “This absolutely would not be possible without the help of those people we are recognizing tonight.”
This included not just staff, but students.
“One of the things I think is so special is that we get to recognize ten students that were also part of the Summer Feeding Workforce,” Fraley said.
When she asked what those students did for the program, Fraley was told simply that they did “everything.”
“They handed out meals, they packed meals, they carried boxes, and they took meals to cars. They did everything,” she said, “That made this program successful. So, the fact that we have students that have given back to our community, have given back to their fellow students and their families, is absolutely wonderful. Tonight, we are going to recognize ten of those students for the work they did.”
Not all students who helped with the summer feeding program were in attendance at the board meeting, but each student received an award recognizing their efforts.
School staff members involved in the summer feeding program were also recognized for their dedication and hard work. Those staff members receiving recognition were Debbie Hale, Felicia Kitchen, Gavin Bond, Tammy Sparks, Sheila Marie Skaggs, Viola Middleton, Debbie Potter, Rita Moore, Samantha Bradshaw, and Dorothy Caudill.
School finance officer Andy Lyons presented financial information to the board following the recognition of students and staff members. Lyons said that the board’s financials were healthy and that their balances mirrored where the board stood last year. Lyons reported the balance at around $6.8 million, as opposed to a pre-COVID balance of around $2 million.
“Post COVID we are doing really well,” Lyons told the board. “Of course, we know we have some expenditures coming up. We have some things to buy.”
Lyons also pointed out to the board that given a previous grant to purchase school buses, the board did not have to worry about that major expenditure.
“I can’t say enough how much that school bus grant has benefited us,” he said.
Lyons said that next month (September) the final budget would be submitted. But he added that he was not expecting many changes from the tentative budget that had already been reviewed.
Property taxes were another thing Lyons discussed with the board.
“Probably one of the biggest things you do every year is set the property taxes,” Lyons told the board. “Our property tax last year was 47 cents per one hundred dollars of assessed value.”
“Tax rates are a fairly complicated process,” Lyons continued. “They give you a range you can levy, and it’s based on the amount of money you generate, not the percentage of rate you levy. So, if you levy the same rate as last year, it would be about a four percent increase. That’s about $298,000 more than last year at the same rate.”
The board voted not to increase the rate but rather maintain it at the same rate as the previous year. According to Lyons, the last substantial raise was in 2011 when Carter Elementary School was built. The board also voted not to raise motor vehicle taxes.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
