FRANKLIN
After approving the Qualified Zone Academy Bonds for the Franklin City Public Schools at a price tag of $1.8 million that the city would have to pay back, several members of council made it clear that priorities needed to be set by the school system and future funding requests might not be so easy.

That was backed up this past Monday at the council meeting, as the board denied two options related to using future carryover money in finishing out this school year.

Superintendent of schools Dr. Willie J. Bell Jr. requested the remainder of the carryover earmarked for the 2015-16 budget. He had already received approximately $119,000 of the $462,645 set for next year’s budget at the beginning of the school year.

Bell outlined two areas of concerns, the first being finishing out the year on a reduced budget and the other being summer school.

The school system is down 41 students from the beginning of the year, and because of that the state dropped funding by approximately $156,000.

The remaining approximately $187,000 would be used to upgrade equipment and improve the curriculum for summer school. The equipment would be a laptop cart, science lab upgrades at the middle and elementary schools and also to aid in opening up resource centers in the community.

Of that, the summer school initiative would cost the most at around $140,000.

Ward 6’s Frank Rabil asked Bell if he had considered cutting from the budget due to lowered enrollment.

Bell said he had looked at cuts for next year’s budget, but that on Monday he was asking for carryover funds.

Ward 4’s Mona Murphy said she supported Bell and the system.

“If you have fewer students, you are still going to need programs,” Murphy said. “We are talking about the education of our children.

“We are trying to get these students to where they are supposed to be.”

Ward 1’s Barry Cheatham said he felt like requests of this nature should be related to one-time expenditures. Considering that Bell is trying to get laptops for every student, Cheatham wondered how one-time this is.

Yes, Bell would be seeking more technology, and some of it could be covered by grants.

“Hopefully, in 18 months we will have one in front of every child,” he said of laptops. “We are aggressively seeking that.”

Regarding the other items, Bell said the lab upgrades were one time; he was anticipating that more money for summer classes would come from the state; and that an enrollment dilemma would hopefully not occur in the future.

City Manager Randy Martin said he believed the money was set aside for the school board. It is just currently reserved for the 2015-16 school year.

Murphy motioned to move forward, it was seconded by Mary Hilliard of Ward 5, but it failed in a 2-4 vote with Ward 3’s Greg McLemore absent. Ward 2’s Benny Burgess, Cheatham, Rabil and Mayor Raystine Johnson-Ashburn voted nay.

The mayor quickly offered a follow-up motion to aport $156,406 to fill out the remainder of the year, but that also failed 2-4. The mayor voted nay to avoid a tie, and Murphy, Hilliard and Rabil also dissented.

“We are still looking in the rearview mirror,” Murphy said about focusing too much on the past. “This one [Bell] has been here since July and he has done extraordinary things.

“He said these things are necessary — a top priority. We are going to deny our children by just giving part of the money? The schools are in dire need.”

Burgess said it is all coming from one pot, and he didn’t know what the schools might need in the next budget. If the full amount was approved, it would be approximately $700,000 appropriated to the system this year above the base funding. That’s not considering school debt such as the QZAB.

“I look at this as carryover money,” Hilliard responded. “All of the other money, I know we will have to deal with that later. Tonight, it’s carryover money that’s already in the reserve.”

“I’m willing to give them everything we can,” Burgess said. “The question is, where is it going to come from? That’s the part I haven’t been able to get to.”