School Budget Step Closer to Final Passage

May 26, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County teachers and support staff are a step closer to getting pay raises.

During a meeting Tuesday night, the budget committee voted to recommend passage of the 2023-24 school budget to the full county commission this summer.

Director of Schools Patrick Cripps presented the school budget to the committee.

“The biggest change in our budget from the previous year is we are giving our certified teachers a $3,000 raise and our non-certified staff a $2,000 increase in pay,” said Director Cripps.

“The Governor wants to get the starting salary of teachers (statewide) to be at $50,000 a year. Our teachers are currently at $47,000 (starting salary) and its going to go to $50,000 (statewide) by 2026 but we want to jump ahead ($50,000) now because the field of education is all about competition and we want to be able to recruit teachers to come into our area and one way to do that is to increase salaries. Right now we are the envy of the Upper Cumberland,” said Director Cripps. “ Our starting salary for teachers is currently $47,000 and that puts us in the top five percent in the state so kudos to the county and school board. I truly believe you get what you pay for and if you look at our test results for the last couple of school years, we are seeing improvement in student achievement and student grades. Our ACT results have been climbing and we have many more programs in place now for our students to be career ready. We set goals each year for our ACT program. ACT is our money test and what I mean by that is ACT is what gets kids into college and trade schools and that’s what generates money for them (students) so we have seen an increase in our ACT scores the last few years and this year, for the first time we saw an increase in our subtests and our composite scores so kudos to the high school. DeKalb West School was a Reward School, a level 5 school in growth, and the high school and middle school were level 4’s. We are also making progress in our other schools, and I truly believe we will be able to get them to a level 4 school as well,” said Director Cripps.

With the new budget year will come a change in the state education funding formula.

The Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) public school funding formula updates the way Tennessee funds public education for the first time in over 30 years to empower each student to read proficiently by third grade, prepare each high school graduate for postsecondary success, and provide resources needed to all students to ensure they succeed.

The TISA updates the way Tennessee invests in public education by moving to a student-based funding formula, which includes:

•A base funding amount for every public-school student.

•Additional weighted funding to address individual student needs like those students who may be low-income, have a disability, be gifted, have characteristics of dyslexia, or live in a sparse community.

•Additional direct funding intended to support students in key priority areas like early literacy, CTE programming, and high-dosage tutoring.

•Outcome incentives based on student achievement to empower schools to help all students reach their full potential.

Director Cripps explained to the budget committee how the new TISA funding formula will impact the local school district.

“It’s a totally new format for us as far as funding. In the past it was called the Basic Educational (BEP) plan. This is the first year of the TISA plan. That will totally change funding in how we receive our money,” explained Director Cripps.

“In the past the state would give us funding based on the number of students in the school system no matter what kinds of needs they (students) had everybody generated the same amount of funds. It was based on the number of students”.

“TISA generates totally different. Each student is a baseline of $6,800. What it does separately from the Basic Education Plan is it has unique learning needs, special education needs and there is a list of them from 1-10 and those generate a percentage of funding off of the $6,800. You can gain more money for success in schools, doing well on the ACT or passing the third grade in reading tests, or meeting other benchmarks as far as state testing. On the flip side of that, third graders will also generate money for those who didn’t pass the tests and for those in K-2 or K-3 Literacy”.

“We were supposed to have training from the state on how this budget is to be administered but unfortunately the state has not provided that to us yet and these (state funding) numbers are not yet final but even with the BEP plan we didn’t get our final numbers until July. We don’t expect the final numbers to vary greatly from what we are showing right now,” Cripps continued.

Director Cripps outlined other (new spending) highlights in the 2023-24 school budget:

*Tutoring: ($82,500) state funding to tutor students who failed to pass third grade testing. (Amount could change)

*K-3 Literacy: ($439,272) state funding for support and tutoring students in K-3 Literacy

* Local funding to replace approximately $100,000 in federal funding for one teacher, five educational assistants, and one secretary in the Special Education Program.

*Career and Technical Education Program: State (TISA) funding for new Marketing Instruction Program teaching position.

*Local funding for projected 2% increase in employee Medical Insurance premiums

Capital Outlay: Local funding of $400,000 to purchase and install new bleachers and a retaining wall at the DCHS soccer field.

Total school budget expenditures for 2023-24 comes to $29,815,625. The fund balance (cash reserves) as of July 1 is projected at $12,307,672 with a fund balance expected to be $10,472,269 by June 30, 2024. The school district is budgeted to dip into its fund balance if needed by up to $1,835,402 during the year to meet budget by year’s end.

May 25, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

The 52nd annual Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree and Crafts Festival is coming Friday and Saturday, June 30 and July 1 and the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce invites all county businesses to again use their changeable signs or marquees to post welcome greetings for our Jamboree visitors.

This marks the 22nd year for the Chamber of Commerce “Jamboree Project Welcome Mat” for the 52nd Annual Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival. Businesses having changeable signs or marquees are asked to post fun welcome greetings for our Jamboree visitors. “With thousands of visitors coming into town for our 52nd celebration, every effort should be made by the local merchants to show our guests that we appreciate them and welcome their business. Let’s keep on showing folks how friendly the DeKalb County / Smithville area can be,” said Chamber Director Suzanne Williams.

All businesses may participate in “Project Welcome Mat.” There will be recognition awards in 4 categories: “Best Worded,” “Most Original,” “Most Creative,” and the “People’s Choice Award.”

Plaques will be presented to winners along with media recognition. If your business would like to participate in the contest, email a picture of your sign to the Chamber at swilliams@dekalbcountychamber.org or call 615-597-4163. Wording should be in place no later than Tuesday, June 20th at 12 Noon.

May 25, 2023
By:

Leadership DeKalb is back, and applications are now being accepted. The program begins in September 2023 and will run through May 2024, followed by a graduation celebration in June. Anyone who lives or works in DeKalb County that wishes to learn more about county and state government, education, economics, issues, and successes, all while developing personal leadership and teambuilding skills, is welcome to apply. Participants must be committed to attendance, and the time requirement is one day a month except for one overnight trip to the State Capitol in March.

“We are seeking a diverse group of 12 individuals from across the county. The tuition cost is $205 and helps to supplement meals, materials, and transportation. Employers and organizations may wish to sponsor a participant, or limited scholarships are also available. After successfully completing the program, you will have gained an in-depth knowledge of DeKalb County and have a network of leaders and friends,” said Leadership DeKalb Director Leigh Fuson.

To receive an application or for more information, please email leaddekalb1@gmail.com or call the Smithville-DeKalb Chamber of Commerce at 615-597-4163. Applications are also available online at www.dekalbtn.org. You may also pick up an application at the Chamber of Commerce office located in the DeKalb County Complex. Businesses wishing to sponsor a meal or be included on the program may also contact them. The deadline to apply is August 1, 2023. Please follow the Facebook page to follow the adventures of the Class of 2024: Leadership DeKalb, Tennessee.