Trustees learn of late budget “surplus”

Only hours before they will be asked to take a final vote on their new budget, Oconee school trustees were told this afternoon that changes made in Columbia will mean an extra $885 thousand dollars in 2017-18.  Dr. Michael Thorsland, superintendent, called the additional money a surplus.  And trustees, during their planning meeting this afternoon, discussed how to incorporate that money into the overall budget and how it might affect what the County Council is willing to appropriate to support local education.  The extra money accumulates from the state’s decision to offset more of the costs of the district’s contribution to the state retirement system.  Thorsland recommended the trustees apply $300 thousand dollars of the surplus to raise the salaries of their custodians.  The starting pay for school district custodians is considered so low that it’s hard to find people willing to take the jobs and keep them.