Responding to a statement by County Commissioner Joe Graham, County School Supt. Rick Smith on Thursday strongly denied that the county schools "hoard" money.
The superintendent read a prepared statement at the opening of a School Board budget meeting after Commissioner Graham suggested that the schools had the money to go ahead with a purchase of security cameras for all the county schools.
The commission and board are at loggerheads over the security camera funding issue after the commission tied the spending to a requirement that County Commission members, along with their district School Board members, would divy up funds received from the sale of the East Brainerd School. School officials and some board members oppose that idea.
The schools released "fund balance information" that said the county school fund balance was at eight percent of spending, while the county fund balance is at 57 percent.
It listed the county schools with a fund balance of $33,615,366 and total budgetary expenses of $398 million. It said the county has a $112 million fund balance to go with $196.6 million in expenses.
The paper says the county school fund balance is enough to last four weeks, while the county fund balance could last 30 weeks.
Supt. Smith said the county schools "seek to have a positive relationship" with the County Commission and other governments.
He said, "It is time to resolve this camera situation. I look forward to a resolution from the County Commission."