Dale County Schools OK $34 million budget

The Dale County Board of Education has approved a $34 million budget for the fourth consecutive year.

“Unprecedented,” is how Dale County Schools Superintendent Ben Baker describes the fact that the budget has been balanced for the fourth year in a row.

Baker says that having a balanced budget has been a priority for his administration. “The taxpayers of Dale County expect local government to spend within a created budget,” he said. “I believe that when people pay their taxes they expect leaders to use wisdom and discernment on spending that money.”

Baker said that the student population in the seven Dale County Schools has shown increases over the past several years and now exceeds 3,200 students.

Dale County Schools currently employs 399 full time employees, Baker said, adding that the budget includes paying all teachers and support staff units with federal and state funds. “The budget has no locally funded units, which allows for all local tax revenues to be used for student learning and transportation priorities,” he said. “The budget included a 4 percent pay raise for all employees.”

The monthly payroll for Dale County Schools is nearly $2 million, Baker said. “The school system has a reserve of more than three and one half-months, an amount in excess of the state’s one-month reserve requirement.”

Included in the budget are new capital improvement projects and the completion of ongoing capital improvement projects, Baker said. “Building projects impacting every community in Dale County are completed, ongoing or planned.”

Nearly $11 million in renovations have been completed or are in the construction/planning stage, Baker said. “The projects have not added to the annual debt expense and are part of the balanced budget.”

Also included in the budget is the Chrome Book and Technology Advancement Initiative. “The school system has invested nearly $1.2 million over the last four years on this project to keep Dale County students up to date with the latest and most advanced technology,” Baker said. “The school system will have a student/device ratio of one-to-one in place by the end of the school year.”

Keeping an up-to-date fleet of school buses is a school system priority, according to Baker, who said that the school system buys four new buses annually. “The school system pays cash for the buses that have a cost of nearly $84,000 each.”

The budget includes support for the PreK programs at each elementary school, Baker said, adding that he wrote grants to support each program but the grant only covers salaries for the teachers. “Materials, supplies and playground equipment come out of the local budget,” he explained.

Funding increase for Student Resource Officers, upgrades in security cameras and safe entries for local schools are also priorities, Baker said.

Baker says the only uncertainty of the budget is the on-going court litigation with Enterprise City and Dothan City Schools regarding distribution of tax revenues. “The diversion of the tax money has prevented some progress on programs for the students of Dale County,” he said. “Currently nearly $1.2 million is being held in escrow by court order pending outcome of the litigation.”

Baker said that he is proud that the Dale County School system is able provide high quality academic, athletic and extra-curricular opportunities for its students without creating debt for the citizens of the Dale County communities. “I am very appreciative of the support of the Dale County Board of Education in supporting my vision of balanced budgets and protecting taxpayer dollars,” he said.