Brandon Twp.- The school district is in ‘great condition,? according to its most recent audit.
For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, the district received at the Oct. 20 school board meeting an unmodified opinion from Plante & Moran, the highest level attainable from the auditors.
‘Overall, the district did a great job with a decrease in revenue,? said Paul Bryant, CPA with Plante & Moran. ‘You’ve been able to add to the fund balance, unlike most schools.?
The district had $26,320,712 in expenditures, but $27,117,497 in revenue, adding $796,785 to the fund balance, making it $2,424,743, or 8.9 percent.
This is the first time the district has balanced the budget in five years, accomplished through a 7.5 percent wage decrease in the salaries of teachers, implemented in 2013.
Bryant noted that instruction and support are 95 percent of the district’s budget, with $12.5 million in salary and $7.5 million expended in benefits including retirement and health insurance. He added that with 81.5 percent of the revenue controlled by the state in per-pupil funding, the district is ‘handcuffed.?
Brandon is among districts in the county with the lowest foundation allowance, just $7,100 per pupil. The district has lost more than 800 students since 2006, resulting in budget deficits and cuts.
In the most recent student count last month, the district learned 137 students have been lost since October 2013. However, that was less than the 200 decrease that was expected. The district now has 2,840 students.
‘We were pleased with the count, we brought a lot of people back,? said Superintendent Matt Outlaw, who began leading the district in July. ‘Our big target is about right sizing our district and retaining our own students. We can be an awesome district with less than 3,000 students. We will be OK in the long haul, we just have to make good decisions.?
District officials expect a continued decline in enrollment for the next 10 years. In 2014, 311 seniors graduated from Brandon High School. This fall’s kindergarteners numbered only 133.