SCBOE holds last meeting before new school year begins

The Shelby County Board of Education held their last meeting before the new school year begins on July 29.  

Superintendent Lewis Brooks said during his report that back to school administration meetings were held on July 21 and 22 and were great days of fellowship and learning.

“It’s the first meeting we have all been in one room in last year,” Brooks said. “We are working on leadership development this year and are excited about that training.”

He also mentioned the most recent flooding that happened at the Shelby County Instructional Services Center (SCISC) in Alabaster. He thanked all those who helped for their hard work and said they are analyzing the damage and working with an architect about the flooding problem. 

The board approved Elizabeth Fuller as the Supervisor of Federal Programs. Fuller has 21 years of experience in education and currently serves as the School Improvement / Federal Programs Supervisor for Shelby County Schools. 

“Thank you all for giving me this opportunity,” Fuller said.”It’s a blessing and honor to work in Shelby County Schools and there’s no better place to be.”

Lacey Motes, Supervisor of Accounting and Finance, gave the financial reports for the month of June. The unreserved fund balance was $40,508,748.02. 

She said that at this point in the year, about 75% of the budget has been spent. So far, 72% of the general fund  of the budget has been spent, 66% of the special revenue fund has been spent and 88% of the debt service has been spent (most of which is scheduled for February).

The local tax revenue- comparison from last year, Motes said categories across the board have increased. 

• Property tax is up 4.8%
• Car tags is up 13.10%
• Sales tax is up 23.52%
• Alcohol beverage tax is up 2.77%

The board also:

• Approved personnel actions
• Approved bus subs and aides
• Rejected a bid for the batting practice facility at Shelby County High School. The project was due to storm damage last school year that destroyed the batting cages. None of the three contractor quotes that were submitted were within budget.

The next board meeting will be Aug. 12 in SCISC in Alabaster at noon.