Boost for the Bulldogs : Foundation donates $165,000 to Decatur schools
Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008
DECATUR - The Decatur School District received a big boost Thursday when the Decatur Education Foundation presented a $ 165, 000 check to the district.
C. L. Abercrombie, president of the foundation, vice president Vernon Austin and treasurer David Cook presented the check to Superintendent Leroy Ortman and district treasurer Terri Burden.
The money, which is not designated for any special purpose, will be used to help the ailing district get back on its feet financially.
If the district had received the money by June 30, at the end of the 2008 fiscal year, Decatur would have finished the year in the black, Ortman said. Now, with the additional expenses of July and August and little revenue coming in during those months, the district remains in the red but is in much better shape than it was, he said.
The Arkansas Department of Education estimated the district would have a negative balance of $ 60, 000 at the end of the 2008 fiscal year.
The state aid the district receives during the summer months is not enough to pay teachers' salaries, Ortman said. Money paid to the district for the district's operation increases as property taxes are paid in the fall.
In early July, the foundation began to collect money to help keep the district open. The foundation mailed letters to alumni and residents asking for donations. Additional money was raised through community fundraising events.
"We've received donations from as far away as Massachusetts and (the state of ) Washington," Abercrombie said. "We want to continue accepting donations. We hope we have more donations coming in."
According to an earlier statement by Abercrombie, another $ 100, 000 has been pledged to be given to the district over the next year.
The efforts are being made to save the district from a forced annexation. The Arkansas Board of Education declined to annex the district this summer but took control of the district away from the local school board.
On Aug. 7, Ortman was appointed superintendent by the Department of Education and given the task of rectifying the district's financial difficulties.
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