The Christian County School Board approved a tentative budget at Thursday’s meeting, and approved the implementation of Senate Bill 128.
The tentative budget is part of the three-part budget process the school system takes part in each year, starting with draft budget and ending with a working budget in September. Director of Finance Jessica Darnall says the $87.2 million spending plan will have a carry forward amount of approximately $9 million and SEEK funding forecasts are starting to roll in.
Of the expenditures, roughly 45 percent of the budget goes towards instruction—13 percent goes to maintenance, 12 percent goes into the contingency, 8.4 percent for transportation, and the remainder is split between administration, staff and student support and transfers.
Approximately 46 students requested to take advantage of Senate Bill 128 so they can take a supplemental school year, with Superintendent Chris Bentzel saying he thinks it won’t be a huge impact on the district. He recommended approving Senate Bill 128 to be in place, saying if they truly need it to catch up, then it is their duty to do what is best for those students.
Bentzel did say it would come with the requirement that those students must attend the Summer Learning Institute for at least the majority of the program. The board unanimously approved the supplemental school year, but board member Lindsey Clark voted against an amendment, which ultimately passed, requiring participation in the Summer Learning Institute.
The board gave Superintendent Bentzel an overall rating of ‘exemplary’ in his annual review in nearly all categories, urging him to continue to focus on transparency in the community, with teachers and staff and the school board. During the review, board members said they were impressed with his actions during the handling of a very difficult first year, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and the obstacles that came with it.