The Cherokee County Board of Education met in special session for its first public budget hearing for the upcoming fiscal year. Chief Financial Officer Robin Cunningham updated board members of the proposed budget.
The proposal expects revenues to total just short of $62.5 million and expenditures to top $59.1 million. The board should carry over about $25 million from this year. Cunningham explained that some items like capital projects and maintenance are not yet reflected in the numbers. Surplus and carryover will help the system purchase fifteen buses in 2027.
Cunningham’s slide show and handout revealed that 3,646 students attend Cherokee County Schools. The board also claims 545.9 employees, 259 of which are teachers. The system saw a reduction of 4.37 teacher units and are down about thirty students from last year.
In other business the board approved agreements regarding orientation mobility services for counseling and sign language interpreting services.
The group also accepted bids for Waste Management, propane, Wittichen Electrical Supply, and a Coca-cola bid for Spring Garden School.
The board approved the renewal of participation in two ATBE funds, professional development, a sick-leave committee representative, and unnamed personnel actions.
The group reviewed policy manual revisions and current job postings with no action taken.
The next scheduled board meeting is September 14th. It will also serve as the second and final 2027 budget hearing before the October 1st start of the fiscal year.
For more details listen to the audio of the meeting.
