The Decatur County Board of Education voted unanimously, minus board member Kelvin Bouie whom was not present, to pass the FY18 budget at their monthly meeting on Thursday.

As of July 1, 2017 the Board expects to see $7.175 million in their fund balance. By June 30 of 2018, they are budgeting to raised that to $7.183 million.

They plan to see an estimated $42.49 million in estimated receipts for the general fund, with over $13 million coming in from local taxes, $27 million coming in from the state sources and $55,000 coming in from the federal level.

The expected expenditures for 2018 come out to an estimated $42.483 million, giving the Decatur County Board of Education the $7,000 increase in the fund balance coming from the difference in estimated receipts and estimated expenditures.

The over $7 million in the fund balance gives Decatur County the cushion it feels comfortable with in order to maintain facility needs as well as operating costs before taxes hit, according to Decatur County Board of Education Superintendent Tim Cochran.

According to Cochran, this budget will not cause any increase in taxes for the residents of Decatur County.

The two percent salary increase for teachers mandated by the state, will be covered by state allocated funds, not the taxpayer according to Cochran.

“That money came from the state through the salary schedules,” said Cochran. “We were able to do it last year, but the money that came down this year allows us to continue to do that.”

While providing teachers with a raise last year independently, Decatur County will now maintain that without having to shell out the money from their own funds.