BOE Approves Budget, Talks Meal Debt And Literacy Programs At Library

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

The Dade County Board of Education approved its FY26 budget at the June 23 monthly board meeting. The board also heard about meal payment procedures, renewed some annual contracts, heard from the library about literacy programs, approved the purchase of new hitting facility equipment, and adjusted two capital outlay plans.

First, Jennifer Bowden (director of school nutrition) presented the procedures governing meal charges. The schools have already been following these procedures, but they had never been put down in writing. Because it is just a procedure document instead of a policy change, the board did not have to vote to adopt it.

The procedures encourage parents to fill out the free and reduced meals application even if they think they don’t qualify because they might be surprised. Then, if a family doesn’t qualify, they are encouraged to pre-pay if their student plans to eat school meals. Payment plans are available.

Students will only be able to charge a meal to their account in emergency cases. Students with negative balances cannot purchase extra food or à la carte items.

These procedures are intended to help the school nutrition program operate well without a large deficit. Josh Ingle (superintendent) noted that at one point last school year, families and staff owed $17,000, and school nutrition ended the school year with $5,000 still owed.

As Bowden has explained before at school board meetings, inflation is hitting the school nutrition budget just like every other budget. “With the rising cost of everything in our program, this whole year has been a struggle,” she said. “We can’t continue this.” She added that even if everyone paid their meal charges, the program would still be in debt.

Jennifer Hartline (Sand Mountain representative) asked how our meal prices compare with other school districts. Ingle said that Dade’s prices are below our region’s counterparts, but Bowden will be suggesting an increase at the July board meeting.

Moving on, the FY26 budget was approved under action items, but first, Ingle repeated the information presented during the budget hearings. (See the June 25 Sentinel.)

Jayne Griffin (At-Large representative) noted that nearby counties receive millions in equalization money. (This is presumably because they don’t have exemptions like Dade’s 65+5 exemption. Per the House Bill 581 hearings earlier this year, Floyd County is the only other county with a local homestead exemption out of the 17 Northwest Georgia Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) counties.)

Hartline asked if there was a way to get out of the equalization deal—to not have to pay the first five mills to the state but also not ever qualify for equalization money. (Remember, for FY26, Dade will not be getting any equalization money back.) Unfortunately, the state automatically takes five mills and local school districts cannot opt out.

During Public Input, Lydia Soucy (library manager) handed out an FY24 annual report on the Dade County Public Library. Saying that she understood that the school board had already reached a decision about its budget, she explained the increase in insurance costs for the library’s staff.

Soucy highlighted Time with Teacher and the summer reading program as two key ways that the library supports student learning. Hartline asked what age group utilizes Time with Teacher. Soucy said it is mostly first, second, and third graders but also some middle schoolers. There has been interest in tutoring for high school levels, but the current tutors aren’t comfortable teaching at the high school level.

Griffin asked about the Prime Time program that the library put on last year and this year through a grant. Soucy doesn’t know if they’ll get the grant again next year, but they’ll apply again in September. The six-week program focused on at-risk families, seeking to add literature to their home life. The schools helped identify families who could benefit from the program.

Soucy said, “We find people who, surprisingly, don’t know how to read stories to their children because that wasn’t done in their homes while growing up.” The program provided a meal and story time for the families so that parents could see the enjoyment and enrichment that reading brings to their children’s lives.

Prize incentives (like gift cards to grocery stores, gas stations, even for haircuts) were offered to keep the families coming, and many of these prizes were donated by local businesses. The families received two books each week to help build their home library.

The board approved a Dade County High School Chorus trip from Dec. 17-21 for the Disney Candlelight Processional. The chorus program applied and was accepted to the processional in May, and the school will be working on pricing and details now that the dates are approved.

The board renewed its contract with School Play LLC for physical and occupational therapy services (this is separate from athletic training services) and renewed its contract with Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) for risk management services (workers comp, property, casualty, vehicle, cybersecurity).

The board adjusted a capital outlay application for Dade Elementary School and temporarily withdrew the application for Davis Elementary School. Capital outlay applications allow the school system to receive reimbursement funds from the state.

For DES, the original application didn’t include wall hung A/C units, so those have been added to the amended application. For Davis, Ingle explained that some large decisions need to be made about electrical work, so it is best to wait to submit the application until these decisions have been thought through. The board temporarily withdrew the application, and the funds will wait until the board is ready to apply again.

Lastly, the board approved an expenditure of $21,159.97 for new equipment for the hitting facility at DCHS. Equipment included pitching machines, screens, and a portable mound. Ingle noted that the contingency wasn’t used for the building project, so those funds are now being put toward this equipment.

The personnel report is as follows:

• Hire: Cornelia Jones, Brooklyn Maddux, Gavin Slaven, Heath Vincent, Presley Dassow, Paige Whitaker, Susan Wood
• Resignation from Coaching: Brooklyn Turner (DCHS Tennis Coach)
• Recommendation for Lay Coach: Nancy Garrett
• Resignation: Jeanna Knox, Lindsay Walden, Shyann Giles, Kelly Doolittle, John Millican