School board officials propose uses for surplus

June 10, 1998|By DAVE McMILLION

Washington County Board of Education officials believe they will have a $1.5 million surplus at the end of the budget year and are proposing it be spent on textbooks, computer upgrades and other improvements.

Technically, the Washington County Commissioners can take back any year-end savings, said school board member Edwin Hayes.

On Tuesday, the Board of Education asked that it be allowed to spend the money in 11 areas. The proposals were priorities that couldn't be funded in next year's budget, Hayes said.

The commissioners did not vote on the proposal.

The school board and the commissioners will meet in early July to determine what kind of surplus the school system has ended the budget year with.

Board members said they need $535,343 of the money to balance next year's budget. An additional $500,000 will be used for new textbooks, according to the board.

The other proposed expenditures include:

HEIGHT="6" ALT="* " NATURALSIZEFLAG="0" ALIGN="BOTTOM"> $72,645 for school library improvements. Earmarking the money will guarantee an equal amount of money for the district through the state's School Accountability Funding for Excellence, or SAFE, program.

HEIGHT="6" ALT="* " NATURALSIZEFLAG="0" ALIGN="BOTTOM"> $56,000 to buy new computer equipment for the business lab at South Hagerstown High School.

HEIGHT="6" ALT="* " NATURALSIZEFLAG="0" ALIGN="BOTTOM"> $175,000 to rebuild the projector in the planetarium at the Washington County Board of Education. The projector experienced a mechanical failure recently, forcing officials to consider replacing it.

HEIGHT="6" ALT="* " NATURALSIZEFLAG="0" ALIGN="BOTTOM"> $17,500 to replace outdated computers at about 10 schools.

The rest of the money will be used to purchase mowers and computer software and to fund other programs.

The money to upgrade South Hagerstown High School's business lab will bring the classroom up to date, said Theresa Flak, assistant superintendent for instruction. A curriculum audit last year said lack of computer technology was "quite evident" in high schools.

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