The Carter County Commission denied the school board's request to fund the remainder of a budget deficit. The commission asked the school system to cut their request in half to about $400,000 without losing more teachers. Even with the discoveries that a retiring teacher would not be able to and school insurance would increase by over $22,000, they were able to cut the request with the following measures:
Removal of 2.5% pay increase for paraprofessionals
Removal of four assistants
Elimination of a central office secretary
Elimination of Reading through Interaction (RTI) coaches
Replacement of two full-time janitors with four part-time janitors
Transfer of lawn mowing to a private contract
One-year hiatus on band equipment funding
No sanding of gym floors
$18,000 cut in supervisor supplements
$5,000 cut in special education supplies
$5,000 cut in vocational instruction supplies
Switching of educational software
The school system was able to prevent having to eliminate elementary and middle school music and art.
