Dale’s Board of Education has approved the teacher negotiated contract for 2021-2022.
Acting School Supt. Ky Wilkins informed the board the main request is the contract continue the stipend of $400 for teachers with more than 25 years experience.
During their reports, new Elementary Principal Courtney Howser said there are 418 students attending in Pre-K through fifth grade.
Assistant Secondary Principal J.D. Widner advised the board 183 are enrolled in grades 6-8 and 186 in grades 9-12 for a total 369.
Widner said that is two or three students down from a year ago.
Wilkins in discussing financial information with the board, presented figures comparing the first two months of the new fiscal year through August of this year to the same period a year ago.
He said the district has spent $572,510 so far, up about $67,294 from the $505,216 a year ago. “We spent a little more than last year to get started this year,” he advised the board.
Actual local revenue received is $51,989 more than through August of 2020 and the building fund is $17,432 down what it was a year ago.
The district’s cash balance is $340,518, which is $101,921 up from a year ago’s $238,597, he said.
Through August, the district has received $262,777 in state aid. That compares to $241,846 last year at this time, Wilkins noted.
Stimulus money received by the district totals $189,692.
The county educational sales tax fund balance through August is $241,164. “That’s up about $24,000,” Wilkins advised the board.
Board members approved Karen Huxtontillar for a janitorial position and also hired retired and former longtime Elementary Principal Bruce Throckmorton for the athletic fund-raiser position.
In other business, the board approved a contract with the Stephen L. Smith Corporation as financial consultant for 2021-2022 and approved academic credits with Gordon Cooper Technology Center.
The board agreed to a fund-raiser of cheerleaders selling T-shirts.
Carren Cantrell-Milligan reported to the board that sophomores, juniors and seniors may take the ACT test on Oct. 5.