Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/247585
FINALLY BACK IN THE BLACK? Deputy Chief Financial Officer Al Weidner discusses the projected 2014-15 school district budget. Photo by Rachel Hackney WHILE IT IS TOO EARLY TO CALL THE PROJECTION A CERTAINTY, THE SARASOTA COUNTY SCHOOLS MAY NOT HAVE TO DRAW ON RESERVES TO BALANCE ITS 2014-15 BUDGET By Rachel Brown Hackney Editor Although the Governor's Office has not released its 2015 fiscal year budget yet, and legislative funding remains an unknown, the Sarasota County School Board budget for 2014-15 could be the first one balanced without reserve funds since 2007-08, the school district's deputy chief financial officer told the board during its Jan. 21 workshop. "This appears to be having a budget surplus," board member Frank Kovach said of the projection provided to the board, "and I haven't seen that in so long. It was just really hard to believe …" However, he conceded, things could come up to reverse that. Weidner, the deputy CFO, told the other board members Kovach called him on Jan. 17 The one big unknown is what the to say Weidner must governor and the Legislature will do. have made a big misAl Weidner take, based on the Deputy Chief Financial Officer material Weidner had Sarasota County Schools sent the board for the