Interview Summaries

Director (Title I Director - Bertie County Central Office): 1. How much Title 1 money is used for teachers, TAs, and substitutes? The amount of Title I money used for teachers, and TAs is decided by the school principals. The principal and his staff will decide how best to use the monies allocated for each school. Title I has a certain amount of money set aside for Pre -K. That money is used for teacher, TA and substitute salaries. 2. How do you appropriate line items for purchase? There are certain purpose codes used for different line items in the chart of accounts. If there is not a line item for certain items I would suggest it may not be legal to purchase items with Title I funds. 3. How do you determine budget priorities? The Title I application specifies certain percentages to set aside for items such as administrative 12%, Professional development 5%, Parental Involvement 1% etc.... 4. How soon do you receive the budget and when can you begin spending? The budget is usually received in late May or early June. Money cannot be spent until the application is approved by DPI. Carryover can be spent in July. 5. How flexible is the spending within the budget you receive? Amendments can be done to make changes within the budget. 6. How do you ensure money is spent equitably and ethically? The money is distributed to the schools based on average daily membership (ADM). The schools with the highest poverty levels are awarded more money. DPI has to approve the budgets before the application is approved.

Principal (High School): 1. How do you develop a school budget? Who is included in the process? A true school budget should be developed by specific curriculum staff members reporting fiscal/resource needs to department heads. Once agreed upon as far as departments as "wish, needs" list they will be brought to school leadership team by priority listing. The SLT will look at school wide academic goals and make decisions on whole school priority listing and if there are some more dialogue needed with departments it will be brought to them for final decisions. 2. What are your other sources of school individual income? (PTA, business partners, etc) - Athletic boosters - Band boosters - Academic boosters - Athletic games (major source) 3. How soon do you receive the budget and when can you begin to spend? Late August to early September (once received) 4. How transparent can you be with your school budget? We can be very transparent because it is good to let your constituents know. 5. How do you determine what items to purchase from teacher requests? Priority needs (academic). Departments rank the order when they submit requests. There are some things that are annual. There is also software that can be utilized school wide.

Bookkeeper (High School): 1. Who audits you? How do you prepare for your audit? The Finance officer audits each school and an independent accounting firm audits the district. There is nothing specific to do in order to prepare for the audit because everything has to be ready at all times for whenever they choose to come and look at my records. 2. Tell me about your ordering process. How does that work? How would you improve that process? I am only given one budget code for instructional supplies to order from. We dont have access to any other codes or line items, just what the district finance office sends us. The staff member simply asks or submits a list of requests; I check availability of funds and approve the purchase. Our district orders through E-Procurement so I begin the purchase order process and my signature shows up as BHS1. The P.O. then goes to the principal and once he approves the purchase his signature shows up as BHS2. It then goes to the district finance office and once I see a BHS3 I know the P.O. has been approved and I send the P.O. to the vendor through E-Procurement. Our process is pretty straight forward and streamlined so I wouldnt change anything. 3. What is the protocol/process for a teacher to purchase any item? They just ask. They can tell me or give me a list of what they want. 4. How does the schools copier contract work? How is it funded? I am not sure; you need to ask Finance Director at the district office. 5. What types of supplies and materials are you able to order? Everything for instructional purposes. Anything for Title I has to go through Shirley Holloman at the district office for approval. 6. What about things needed for athletics? That has to come from in-house funds raised from ticket sales and concessions. Just like Graphics has to raise its own money and all the clubs and organizations. Anything that is on campus.