Schools

School Board Budget Passed in the Nick of Time

The Manatee County School Board unanimously approved the final $568 million budget for the 2013-14 school year on Wednesday.

The vote was rescheduled last week during a regularly scheduled school board meeting, because officials had not allotted enough time for public review.

 The date falls just before the state mandated deadline of Sept. 18, officials said, not making the cutoff could be a risk much of the district's state funding. 

Since the tentative budget was released, the district has added an additional 85 teachers required by increased enrollment, a change discussed at a public hearing Aug. 29. 

The cost associated with hiring the 85 additional teachers is approximately $4.3 million, according to Mike Barber, district spokesperson. Barber said funding the positions will come from $2.1 million in increased FTE from the state, $1.2 million in additional Title I funding and $1 million, which was built into the 2013-2014 tentative budget to cover costs incurred with hiring additional instructional staff.

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