Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp.-On Monday at the school board of trustees meeting, Paul Bryant and Chris Kassab of Plante Moran presented the school district’s annual financial statements and auditor’s report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017.
The board voted 7-0 to approve the audit.
According to the audit for the fiscal year 2016-17 the general fund revenues of $25,841,923 with expenditures of $25,121,840 increased the fund balance by $648,922. The total fund balance is $3,902,006, with $2,272,574 of that being unassigned.
“I am pleased that the Brandon team again received a spotless audit,” said superintendent Matt Outlaw. “This says a lot about our financial planning as well as our management of these precious resources. I am proud of the team for all of their hard work and attention to detail.”
The assigned fund balance will go toward projects that the district has been saving up for. These projects include waster water treatment, pool roof and de-humidification system, bathroom renovations, parking lot repairs among others.
The unassigned fund balance has increased from 6.85 percent in 2016 to 9.05 percent this year.
The audit revealed that though the general fund revenue was slightly under what was budgeted, the expenditures were $443,564 under what the district budgeted for, which contributes to the increase in the fund balance.
Though the district lost 129 students during the last school year, the decline in students has begun to plateau. Total decrease since the 2010-11 school year is 755 students.
Though there was a decrease in students, the grant revenue per student is now above the level it was in 2010-11 when it was $7,316 per student. It dropped the following year to $6,846 and has been steadily increasing since.
The reason being, as said by Outlaw at the meeting, is that the bigger classes are graduating and the incoming kindergarten classes are not as large as the senior classes, as well as less Schools of Choice students, who are being heavily recruited by other schools.