On Monday, the Salem City Council will consider a request from the school division to appropriate almost $2 million from unallocated capital reserve funds to the division’s general, grants, capital projects and reserve funds.
On Oct. 14, the city school board amended its FY26 budget to appropriate these funds from the division’s FY25 fund balance, the agenda report said. The division needs the city’s sign-off on the proposed allocations.
Here is the breakdown of where the money will go:
- School general fund: $55,136
- School grants fund: $97,666
- School reserve fund: $202,400
- School capital projects fund: $1,627,636
Among the projects that the funding would be used for are:
- $60,000 to provide a 20% local match for an extended school year grant of $300,000.
- $932,500 for maintenance needs, including roof work, replacement of pumps, air units and boilers, leakage repairs and fan coil units.
- $141,865 in technology support, including door badge reader software replacement and replacement of FlySense detectors, which detect vaping and THC usage.
- $696,671 in instructional and division needs, including bleachers for the Salem High School gym, playground equipment at G.W. Carver Elementary School, seating in the band room at Andrew Lewis Middle School, a walk-in and freezer combination for culinary classes at Salem High School, and classroom modifications for a Salem High building and trades CTE course.
The council will address a number of requests and considerations during Monday’s meeting. The entire agenda for the meeting is posted here. The 6:30 p.m. meeting will be held in City Hall, at 114 N. Broad St. in Salem.