THOMASVILLE — Thomasville City Schools board members will meet Friday morning to approve the fiscal year 2019 budget.

Board members opted at their meeting Tuesday to hold a called meeting Friday for budget approval. Last month, the board approved a tentative budget of more than $27 million in expenses and $26.3 million in projected revenues.

The budget deficit of more than $1 million has shrunk, Superintendent Dr. Laine Reichert said. The projected shortfall of approximately $1.3 million has been whittled to around $900,000.

Board members voted to table FY19 budget approval until Friday morning’s called meeting.

“I felt like it would be best if we had the opportunity to consider everybody’s comments,” board Chairman Chris Rodd said. “We want to make sure we are responsible stewards for the community.”

The majority of the system’s budget is in personnel, Reichert said. Positions at the board office have been reduced and some positions have been eliminated.

“Any other savings we could scrape are outside of salaries and benefits,” she said. “We have scraped those as far as we can.”

Morris Arrington issued his concern that the school system may have to reduce its number of personnel even further.

“I think that is on the horizon,” he said. “In reality, our school system cannot continue to operate like a champagne school system on a beer budget.”

Reichert said she has advised the board against conducting a RIF, or reduction in force. 

Arrington also said some classes are too small, and the city schools should either collapse those classes or transfer teachers. He also suggested merging administrator positions at Thomasville High School and Scholars Academy.

“Teachers are the last ones I would want to cut,” he said. 

Arrington added he did not want the city school system to raise the millage rate. He also urged the board to avoid using a TAN, or tax anticipated note. 

Reichert said TANs are useful and are common practices for school systems. The TAN allows systems to borrow money and operate in advance of property tax receipts, which typically come in at the end of the calendar year.

“It is our goal to build up reserves to where we don’t have to have TANs anymore,” Reichert said.

Rodd thanked the public for its input Tuesday on the budget.

“It does not fall on deaf ears,” he said.

Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.