By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The Alabaster City School System is projecting about $67 million in revenues for the 2017 fiscal year, which will begin in October, according to a budget passed by the city’s Board of Education during a Sept. 12 meeting.

School Board members voted unanimously during the meeting to approve the budget after holding their second and final public hearing on the matter. The first budget hearing came on Aug. 30.

“I want to thank (Chief School Financial Officer) Mrs. (Linda) Agee and the central office staff for working to put together an outstanding budget. I very happily recommend its approval,” ACS Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers told board members.

The school system’s 2017 fiscal year will run from Oct. 1 of this year to Sept. 30, 2017.

The 2017 budget includes a total of about $67 million in revenues, which is up about 5.5 percent over last year to account for statewide teacher raises approved for this school year.

Of the revenues, about $35.7 million will come from state sources, about $26.7 million will come from local sources, about $4.4 million will come from federal sources and $201,900 will come from grants.

The budget includes about $138.2 million in expenditures, but the numbers are skewed by the system’s new high school construction and existing school renovation projects, which are being funded by $120 million in bonds the system issued in 2014.

The 2017 expenditures include $69.5 million in capital projects and about $8.1 million in debt service. The new high school is scheduled to open off Thompson Road in the fall of 2017.

Included in the projected expenditures are also about $35.3 million for instructional services.

Other budget highlights include $200 in classroom money for each teacher and library enhancement money on top of what the state provides, Vickers said. The school system is on track to end the 2016 fiscal year with about $14.8 million in reserve, which represents about 3.4 months of operating expense, he said.