Decatur County School Superintendent Fred Rayfield told the Bainbridge Lions Club Wednesday that it is important for the school system to earn the respect and trust of local citizens.

“We must have pride in and commitment to our students,” the superintendent said.

“We are doing all right, but we can do better. We have to go from good to great, but to get there we must also face reality. We must earn the respect and trust of the citizens,” he said.

Rayfield said that while the budget is always a concern, the Board of Education does not plan to increase the number of teacher furlough days beyond the current number of six.

He pointed out that taking the six furlough days will save the school system $152,000 and that 85 percent of the budget is payroll.

“We have tried to keep the cuts we have had to make as far away from the classroom as we could,” he said. “Whatever decision we make, we always put the students welfare first. They are our number one priority.”

Their biggest problem is always dealing with the budget and financial situations. Fuel costs and utility rates have increased along with everything else, he said.