Schools approve budget request for coming year

The Alleghany County Board of Education on Tuesday approved a $1,975,182 local current-expense budget request for 2003-04.

That figure represents an increase of $108,996 over the 2002-03 budget. That is also the difference between the county allocation for this year, $1,512,586, and the $1,621,582 request for county funding for the fiscal year which begins July 1.

The board's vote also included approving a proposed capital outlay budget of $535,058, $35,058 more than the county recommendation. The proposed budget will be sent to the Alleghany County Board of Commissioners for its consideration.

"We're not being greedy," said Finance Officer Karen Leys. "We're trying to be reasonable, but we're trying to make a reflection of what our actual needs are."

School board Chairman Charles Joines agreed, saying, "There's nothing padded in here; it's all very desperately needed."

Leys also presented a $249,000 budget proposal for technology. Most of that sum is to come from a $200,000 loan by Zion's Bank; the capital outlay budget proposal includes the first of three annual payments of $70,707 on that loan.

About half of that technology budget proposal is to buy 30 computers for each of the four schools, at a cost of $1,000 each.

Not included in the capital outlay budget is a new bus garage, although Leys distributed a list of reasons the present garage, built in the 1950s, should be replaced. "We do not have a good, solid cost for the building ready to announce," she explained. "Hopefully we'll get a price in the next week or so."

Among current expense highlights, some insurance categories were among the increases.

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