By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Writer

The Chilton County Board of Education met Tuesday, Sept. 13 to approve the annual budget for the new fiscal year.

The budget was approved with minimal changes since the last meeting. Concerns were expressed that some money should be used to cover interest payments, but Superintendent Tommy Glasscock commented that the challenges of furnishing, staffing and supplying the new seventh grade wing at Jemison would be a more pressing issue this year.

After a brief discussion, the budget was approved and the meeting was adjourned. Key items on the budget:

• The approved budget states a beginning reserve balance of about $8.7 million and an ending balance of about $9 million. The reserve started this year with $600 thousand more than it did last year.
• Currently, about 85% of revenue is spent on salaries and benefits.
• The maintenance budget is twice what it was last year. According to Chief Financial Officer Steve Yeargan, this is because the board anticipates spending extra this year with new buildings coming. Also, the maintenance budget has been low since 2014, so the board anticipates repairing some things soon that may not have needed attention in a few years.

For further inquiries, go to chilton.k12.al.us or call (205)280-3000 to reach the Chilton County Schools office.