Taylor Connard

Education 650

Standard Activity 9.41C

Clay County School’s Board of Education does not have specific people for finance, but

instead requires everyone, even down to the secretaries, to work on financial items and the

budget. Joan Haynie, the assistant superintendent, works a lot with finance and ensuring that

money is spent appropriately and that we are not exceeding our budget. The way I conducted the

interview was I asked broad questions and she would take time to expand on the question and in

turn answer many more that I had. Our time was short, but we were able to discuss the following.

The first discussion we had was on how tight the budget is for Clay County. My original

question was what the budget for the county is, but Mrs. Haynie went further into detail about

just how rough things are and where a lot of the money comes from. Clay County is currently

ranked at number 9 for their tax levy bracket. The rating system is from 1-10 with 1 being the

best and 10 being the worst. The only county below Clay is Wirt County. Due to this low

bracket, the county can ask for money from certain state funds. The county also must rely on

grants. We receive Title I-V funding that helps buys computers, books, and supplies. The school

has an after-school program fund that helps as well.

The next question I had was about the School Building Authority. The SBA has provided

the funds to completely remodel the high school. The high school is receiving a new gymnasium,

a new commons area, new air conditioning, upgraded electrical, new doors and windows, and

new bathrooms. Mrs. Haynie informed me that they applied for these funds for many years, but
were consistently denied. Once the SBA was presented with the information about the low tax

bracket, they approved Clay County High School for the remodel.

Mrs. Haynie explains that every person at the board office has a role with finance.

Michael Taylor is in charge of the payroll for staff and ensuring that all funds from each school

are being spent appropriately and are documented. The special education director focuses on

special education spending and helps work on grants. Tina Burnette writes most of the grants and

helps monitor spending. Everyone has a role and Mrs. Haynie explains that it can be a challenge

to train new employees on the finances and budget. She emphasizes how critical it is that the

budget does not get messed up.

Mrs. Haynie explains that over the years they have learned to cut corners where they can.

Instead of hiring retired employees and having to pay insurance for them, they simply put them

on contracts. These contracts do not pay them for any days not worked and saves the county a

significant amount of money. The county provides transportation for the after-school program

and that is only accomplished through the grant. Instead of hiring substitute teachers, they pay

teachers $10 a day for when they cover on their planning. She says that the key to small counties

that do not have money, is being smart about spending.