THOMASVILLE — Last Tuesday, the Thomasville City School Board of Education held their work session and regular board meeting and discussed matters including a timeline for the FY24 Budget.

Kimberly NeSmith, Chief Financial Officer, opened up the work session with a financial update for the board, with NeSmith presenting a sample spending resolution for the board to consider after discussing the timeline for the FY24 Budget.

}“If you do not have an operating budget for the new fiscal year by July 1, you are allowed to adopt a spending resolution,” NeSmith said. “That basically says that you’re authorizing the superintendent to maintain spending, to not to exceed one-twelfth, so, an average month of expenditures for that month and then we would do the same thing the next.”

NeSmith said that she brings up the possibility due to the interim situation with Dr. Tina McBride, the current interim superintendent, and NeSmith’s own upcoming departure, as well as the current millage rate situation.

“The only reason I bring that up is because of the interim situation with Dr. McBride and, of course, as I make my exit, there will not be anyone, immediately, in May, I don’t think,” she said. “The other reason, and really one of the most important ones, is because of the millage rate situation.”

Having presented a tentative budget to the board for FY24, NeSmith said that she created the budget while not knowing what the millage rate will be, but basing it on prior rates and the district’s growing expenditures.

“As you know, with any budget, you overestimate expenditures and underestimate, to extent, with expenditures, however, with the increase in health insurance and the raises for everybody, it’s pushing us at almost $4 million over budget, which means that that will have to come out of our fund reserve, unless cuts are made elsewhere,” she said. “I don’t see maintenance and operations really slowing down in terms of cost, because we are continuing to have to provide maintenance on existing schools, so I feel pretty confident in that estimate of the cost there, and of course, salary and benefits.”

With the addition of $5 million needed for construction over the next few years, NeSmith said that based on the current data she has available, it may be likely that the millage rate would need to be increased.

“So, with that being said, not knowing what’s going to happen with the millage rate this year and whether or not your going to have feedback from the community and pressure to lower it or not increase it, which, right now, based on the information, you would need to increase it,” she said.

According to NeSmith, as of right now, the $4 million that exceeded the tentative budget and $5 million needed for construction, would be coming out of fund reserves.

Delaying the FY24 Budget, she said, and working through spending resolutions would be helpful until the millage rate was known and the interim situation within the district was resolved.

After NeSmith, Director of Operations Ben Tillman, discussed safety and security updates for Thomasville City Schools, including a threat assessment protocol, and presented requests for transportation to resolve issues with relocation at Jerger Elementary School.

The board approved the financial report for March 31, 2023, presented by NeSmith, and approved athletic purchase orders for adjustments to accommodate upcoming Thomas University college football games at the Thomasville City School’s Veteran Memorial Stadium. These purchases, NeSmith said, will be reimbursed for $25,929 coming out of the account by Thomas University. An additional order was approved for a scoreboard for $59,160. Additional approvals included supplementals for FY24, re-investments of construction funds, the termination of contract with Tyler Technologies, the FY21 Corrective Action Plan and the approval of transportation purchases. After items of information, the Board of Education then entered into Executive Session in regard to personnel matters, adjourning upon the conclusion of the Executive Session.