Clarendon County Council members continued their review of the 2018-19 fiscal year budget Monday night during their regular meeting held in Manning.
Clarendon County Controller Lynden Anthony said before second reading Monday evening that the budget contains a requested budget increase by the Sheriff's Office and a 7 percent increase in employee health insurance and retiree premiums.
He said that expenses had been reduced by $230,000, and revenue had increased by $10,000 since first reading in April. However, Anthony stressed that the budget remained unbalanced as of second reading.
As is traditional for second reading of the budget, council members heard from local school and college officials looking for approval of their own budgets. Council members may approve or deny millage increases for school districts, in accordance with state law.
Central Carolina Technical College and F.E. DuBose Career Center President Dr. Michael Mikota gave a brief update of the college's recent successes, including the graduation recently of 42 new nurses. He said the school is now ranked 7th in the state out of 30 schools for the quality of its nursing program.
"F.E. DuBose is ahead of Clemson University and (the Medical University of South Carolina), as well as Emory University in Atlanta, and is two points below Yale University," Mikota told council members.
Clarendon School District 1 Superintendent Barbara Ragin-Champagne said the district had an increased number of students in dual-enrollment courses in the 2017-18 school year, also noting that the district saw improved scores in several state assessment tests. She also discussed the successes of the fine arts programs and the athletic teams.
Finance Director Angela Ramsey presented the district's budget, which she said was not yet balanced. In light of increased salary and higher operational cost needs, including hiring a new custodian and purchasing an activity bus, Ramsey will continue to work with school officials to balance the budget, she said.
Clarendon School District 2 Superintendent John Tindal told council members that four eighth-grade students were named Junior Scholars, qualifying for $1,000 in scholarship funds from Francis Marion University. He added that six students made perfect scores on the South Carolina READY Text-Dependent Analysis Test, and that eight eighth-grade students scored perfectly on the Algebra I End-of-Course Test.
Finance Director Cathy Williams presented a proposed balanced budget for the district. The plan includes a proposed increase in salary, retirement and fringe benefits, as well as an increase in base student costs.
Clarendon School District 3 Superintendent Connie Dennis said the district has had success in implementing an after-school program for grades 1 through 5 for tutoring and enrichment activities. The program is covered by a three-year grant, Dennis said.
She added that, through Title I, summer school will be offered for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
She also noted that seven students from East Clarendon Middle High School graduated from Central Carolina Technical College earlier this month, earning their associates in arts degrees before graduating from high school technically.
Finally, she told council members that East Clarendon Middle High School is currently ranked at the Bronze Award Level of the Best High Schools in America in the U.S. News and World Report.
Finance Director Laura Fleming presented District 3's budget to council members, noting that it will be balanced by dipping into the district's fund balance. The budget includes an increase in salaries as well as an increase in base student costs.
Council members passed second reading of the 2018-19 budget without much discussion.
