The school system’s budget proposal for local funding must be submitted each year prior to the county’s budget process, which must be completed by June 30.

Because of perceived shortfalls in the current, 2007-08 budget, the school system is still operating on an interim budget resolution. School board members agreed, months ago, to operate on the interim budget in the hopes that county commissioners would see fit to add to the pot of local current expense money.

That hasn’t happened, however, and during Tuesday’s regular March meeting, school board Vice Chairman Jimmy Wilkins said that it might just be time for the board to adopt the 2007-08 budget. Commissioners adopted the county budget last June.

Prior to the discussion about adopting the budget, the school board heard from Person County Schools Finance Officer Julie Masten that she needed to transfer $29,321 from fund balance, or reserves, in order to balance the local portion of the current budget for this month. Taking that amount out of the fund balance, she said, would reduce reserves to less than $500,000.

The school board approved the transfer.

As of Feb. 29, after eight months of the fiscal year, Masten reported to the board, 64.2 percent of current expense funds for fiscal 2007-08 had been spent. The majority of operating costs went toward salaries and benefits.

Just over 62 percent of the school system’s state allocation for the year has been spent, again with the bulk going to pay salaries.

Over 56 percent of federal funding has been spent thus far this year, with $1.1 million of the $1.5 million total going to pay salaries and benefits.

In other matters, the school board, while observing the annual Local Government Day, approved the addition of computer programming, business management and sports marketing programs at Person High School and a new annual cooperative agreement between the school system and Piedmont Community College that allows high school students to take college credit courses.

The school board also on Tuesday updated policies concerning field trips and heard proposals for changing the methods for evaluating and appraising coaches and teacher assistants.

The next board of education meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 10.