Bath School Board approves its 2014-15 budget

WARM SPRINGS, VA – At a budget work session on Tuesday evening, the Bath School Board approved its budget for fiscal year 2014-15. The budget total is $11,138,822. That is about $700,000 more than the current year’s budget, a 6.75% increase. The budget is based on an enrollment of 575 students. The current budget is based on an enrollment of 600.

The budget includes a 15% increase in health insurance cost and increases in Virginia Retirement System costs. And it includes the addition of one full time special education teacher and the salary scale revisions for positions that are not regionally comparative. This budget contains the salary scale revisions for year two of a three year plan. The budget also contains a 2% salary increase for other positions that are already regionally comparative.

After discussion, school board members agreed not to add any increases in secretary pay and supplemental pay to the budget. The board has been considering both. But board members agreed that they felt that the Bath Board of Supervisors has been very supportive of their budget efforts, especially on the teacher scale adjustments, so board members felt it was better to not ask for any more in this budget.

The board also made some more changes to the school calendar to make up days missed due to bad weather. As of Wednesday morning Bath students have missed seventeen days, have had twelve two hour delays and one early dismissal. At its last meeting the board voted to change March 31 from a teacher workday to student day. But with additional bad weather since then, more make up days were needed. On Tuesday evening, the board voted to change April 17 from an early release day to a full school day, May 26, Memorial Day, from a holiday to a full student day and June 13 from an early release day to full student day. And if needed, due to any more bad weather, the board also approved giving administration permission to extend the school day 4 minutes to 10 minutes for the remainder of the year to achieve the necessary number of school course hours. Any extra minutes would be added to the end of the day and there are no plans to make any changes to spring break.

And the board set the graduation date for Bath County High School. It’s Saturday, June 14 at 11am.

And the board accepted the resignation of high school Spanish teacher Alex Miller, effective at the end of the school year.