Dale Board of Education members during their most recent meeting approved the financial report and several fund raisers and heard the audit report for 2023-2024.
A group of several faculty members attended the January monthly meeting also to discuss the possibility of extending the pay scale for career teachers.
Jones reviewed financial information showing warrants as of December of 2024 were $3,360,948 compared with $2,775,984 in December of 2023.
The building fund cash balance for December of 2024 was $508,950 compared to $2,198,497, a decline of $1,689,547 from December of 2023. Jones pointed to the insurance money the district had a year ago at that time. He also pointed to a Fiscal Year carryover of $373,158.
The General Fund cash balance in December of 2024 stood at $1,725,631 and in December of 2023 it was $1,145,497, an increase of $580,134.
State Aid as of December 2024 was $1,887,683. As of December of 2023, it stood at $1,583,280, up $304,403.
County Sales Tax balance for December of 2024 was $231,238 compared to $410,274 which is $179,036 less than in December of 2023.
December county sales tax revenue was $27,824, Jones reported.
The county donation account balance in December was $73,794.
Fund raisers approved included the daddy-daughter dance, the rubber duck sale and an online auction, all of those for the Rise Classroom.
Allison Robinson, high school English teacher, spoke for the group of about seven faculty members who attended the meeting.
As she addressed the board, she said, “First, I want to thank you for the stipend we received in December. We know you always support the staff and faculty in numerous ways.”
Robinson noted, “This is our home, our hearts are here, our careers are here. But if you’ve taught 25 years, and 17 of our teachers have 25 years, our pay scale hasn’t kept up.
“We’d like for you to consider what can be done for these teachers. We’re just wanting to bring it to your attention,” she said.
She mentioned that lots of states now pay up to 30 to 35 years on the pay scale, noting that Oklahoma’s stops at 25.
Robinson said there has been some indication legislators might consider raising it, but hasn’t seen any bills filed yet.
She said that faculty members have worked with the superintendent and staff to see what the cost would be to the district for the next fiscal year and it would amount to about $44,000.