CLEVELAND, Ga. — The White County School System is about one month and $11 million away from a balanced Fiscal Year ’18 budget.

School Board members held a preliminary budget hearing Thursday which revealed schools have estimated expenditures of $65,411,417 in FY ’18 and estimated revenue of only $54,239,323. A second budget hearing is set for May 25 at 6 p.m.

In the meantime, Board members will work on ways to balance their spending plan.

The good news is the School System has a healthy fund balance, expected to grow to $17,370,434, by June 30, the end of the fiscal year. Board members can make up the shortfall from the fund balance. A second, less desirable solution, would be to ask taxpayers to make up the entire difference in the form of a millage increase. A more likely scenario would be to remove some money from the fund balance and ask for a millage increase to make up the rest.

The Board will approve the final budget, review the millage rate, schedule and advertise the budget and millage rate public hearings if necessary on June 29.

During Thursday’s meeting, the Board approved:

• An agreement to pay North Georgia Physicians Group to provide an athletic trainer on a three-year scale of $8,000 during the next school year, $10,000 (2018-‘19) and $12,000 (2019-’20);
• The formation of a wellness committee, consisting of the superintendent or his designee, school system and community representatives from areas designated in federal law to participate in the development, implementation and periodic review of school wellness policies;
• A White County High School Senior Night field trip to Six Flags on May 5, and an away match in July for the White County High School volleyball team to Panama City Beach, Florida, to compete against two local schools;
• An amendment to the employee and student smoking policy;
• Construction of cases and an area to honor White County Veterans at a cost of approximately $ 20,000;
• Formation of a Spanish National Honor Society at White County High School.