By By Kerry Whipple Bean – publisher
The Brewton City Board of Education has passed a budget that includes a mandatory state pay raise for teachers - but also has less state funding for teacher units.
The state allots money for teacher units based on enrollment, and Brewton City Schools' enrollment was down the previous academic year.
For the current school year, the city schools lost state funding for 3.38 teacher units.
The school board already supplements local funding for about five teacher units, half a counselor at Brewton Elementary, a reading coach at Brewton Middle and half a principal at T.R. Miller High School.
The budget includes $7.8 million in state funding, $957,000 in federal funds and $3.38 million in local funds.
In other business, the school board approved a three-year contract with Coca-Cola to sell drinks at T.R. Miller. The deal provides monetary and non-monetary compensation of $6,377 per year to the school, Smith said. During lunch, the only products sold are water, flavored water, juice and diet carbonated drinks.
The school board also approved the resignation of T.R. Miller instruction aide Tracy Jernigan and the hiring of T.R. Miller art teacher Shannon Woodfin.