Patrick School officials deferred payment of two utility bills to help the county make ends meet in September.
Schools Superintendent Bill Sroufe said on Sept. 25, Patrick County Treasurer Sandra Stone notified his staff the county had the funds to meet the September payroll, but may run $11,000 low on funds to pay other bills.
As a result, school officials pulled two utility bills from the September bill packet and deferred payment on those bills until October, Sroufe said.
The Patrick County Supervisors voted Sept. 10 to pursue a Revenue Anticipation Note because the county’s expenses are exceeding the revenue on hand. If approved, the county will the borrow funds and then repay the note with incoming tax revenue.
The county approved giving the school division $5.1 million in the current fiscal year. The county also is paying the division’s debt service, Sroufe said, adding that the school division had not drawn down any local funds until September, but has used state and federal funds to cover its expenses.
“The next three months concern me,” Sroufe said, adding that last year, the school division drew down $3.4 million between October and December, including $800,000 in October, $1 million in November and $1.6 million in December. The payroll generally is $1.8 million per month, and the total amount of monthly bills ranges from $350,000 to $450,000, he said.
Sroufe said the school division cannot levy taxes. It also does not have enough revenue in the Cafeteria Fund to make a significant impact on any shortfall.
However, “my understanding is the county is moving to a solution,” Sroufe said, and noted state officials are working to speed up disbursements to the school division as a stop gap measure to help pay the school debts.
“We get all the blame for the problems, but they’re still pursuing all those multi-million dollar projects,” Brandon Simmons, vice chairman and of the Dan River District, said.
Ronnie Terry, board chairman and of the Blue Ridge District, asked if the school division could make the October payroll and pay bills if the county failed to obtain the loan.
“I’m confident the county will address” the revenue issue, Sroufe said, but given a substantial enough short-fall, he said division employees would be furloughed.
Also at the meeting Thursday, the board:
*Tabled further discussion of a compensation study. Sroufe recommended the board not approve $18,000 study, citing 67 fewer students and the county’s current revenue crisis.
*Heard from Nancy Carlson, a history teacher at Patrick County High School. Carlson shared her concerns about a now former full-time employee being paid through August and currently remaining on the staff roster as a consultant. Sroufe said the employee is not on the roster as a consultant, but rather as a substitute teacher. The former employee is currently not being paid.
Carlson also encouraged school officials to eliminate the instructional coordinator position immediately.
“Why do we need an instructional coordinator when enrollment continues to decline,” she asked.
*Heard from Trena Anderson who said the board squelched her right to speak at a recent meeting, and that she was disrespected and bullied by school officials.
*Heard from Danny Wood who said he received information under the Freedom of Information Act about a new welder program that will be implemented at PCHS. He also said the fact that the division was accredited and went from 75th to 19th in the state is no surprise because Patrick County has been a top school system.
He recalled the Literary Passport program, a testing measure that predated the Standards of Learning (SOL) tests, and noted that at the time, Patrick was number one in the state. “When you get to be number one in the state, let’s brag,” he said.
*Heard from Scott and Gwen Murphy, who encouraged the board to allow Gwen Murphy’s grievance process even though a deadline was missed.
*Heard from Andrew Overby who encouraged the board to not engage in a compensation study. Overby said he also was charged for requests made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). He paid the amount owed with coins in a plastic coffee container.
