The Walker County School Board will review its final proposed budget for the 2019-20 school year on June 17.
The proposed budget could reduce the system’s fund balance to less than $500,000 in a worst-case scenario, according to Superintendent Damon Raines.
The school system is in the second year of a conversion to an accounting system that combines local, state and federal revenue into a consolidated report for each school, Raines and Financial Services Director Rachel Elliott explained to the board. That process also will result in reductions to the final operating budget, which will decrease the amount of reserve funds needed for school operations should a tax increase not be included.
In a preliminary review of the budget at a June 3 work session, Raines presented the five-member board the $96,587,555 operating budget, which includes using $6,277,527 from the system’s reserves to balance the operating budget. That would reduce reserves to $488,464.
The school board has not raised the millage rate for Walker County Schools since 2004.