By Jeanie Groh

jeanie.groh@salisburypost.com

Although they are not any closer to making budgetary decisions for the coming year, the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education and Rowan County Board of Commissioners have a better understanding of each other’s needs, goals and setbacks.

The two groups met Wednesday to discuss the school system’s financial needs for the 2015-16 fiscal year.

Rowan-Salisbury Chief Financial Officer Tara Trexler spent the morning explaining how the school system’s budget works.

Trexler explained the different sources the school system receives its funding from, how the money it receives is earmarked for specific purposes and how the number of teachers per school is decided.

“The goals for the commissioners were to get a strong understanding of how the schools were funded and where the money is spent,” said Greg Edds, chairman of the county commissioners. “For the first time, we got a great lesson in how school funding and expenses work.”

The two boards discussed the possibility of raising teacher supplements for Rowan-Salisbury teachers by 1 percent. The raise would cost the county $1.2 million each year.

Rowan-Salisbury currently offers one of the smallest supplements for teachers compared to surrounding school districts. By the time a teacher retires, the district is dead last in supplements.

“Our goal is to raise the scale,” said school board member Chuck Hughes. “Without the funding, we can only tip it one way or another.”

“We understand where the county is,” said school board member Travis Allen said, but added that employee raises are vital.

“I think 1 percent is the minimum. We should be asking 2-3,” he said.

“If we get a 1 percent increase this year, we will still be behind everyone else,” said Superintendent Dr. Lynn Moody.

She added that the district is losing ground. “We’re going backwards every single year. Just know that.”

Assistant Superintendent of Operations Anthony Vann led a discussion Wednesday afternoon about the district’s capital needs.

He went over the proposed budget for the consolidated elementary school in the western part of the county and for rebuilding Knox Middle School. He also talked about the district’s roofing and paving needs, as well as other repairs, totaling close to $118 million.

“Dr. Moody and Anthony have made it quite evident that it is a new day and they want to bring facilities up to standard and keep them there with a quality plan,” Edds said. “It is encouraging and should be an encouragement to the community that the schools are proactively planning for future capital needs.”

“We need some way of making long range plans,” said Vice Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Jim Greene. “We’re seeing needs here that have probably been needs for the past 20 years.”

“The biggest need is a plan and direction,” said school board Chairman Josh Wagner. “We’ve identified that our main priority is teacher raises,” he said, but added, “We have to address some of these capital upkeep needs that haven’t been addressed.”

Wagner said Wednesday’s meeting was a valuable opportunity for both boards to sit down together and communicate for the first time since the November election.

“There’s so many parts on both sides,” he said. “There’s just things you don’t know.”