Bamberg School District 1 passes budget
Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter
Bamberg School District
One Trustees held a public
hearing and passed a
$14,061,941.56, 2012-2013
general fund budget at their
June meeting that included a
step increase and a two percent
cost of living increase. The
board’s approval of the budget
came with the stipulation that
if the general assembly does
not pass a budget on or before
June 30, the district would
have to revert back to its 2011-
2012 budget that would
include no employee
increases.
“We’re in a heck of a
mess” because of the
legislature, Bamberg School
District One Superintendent
Phyllis Schwarting said in
describing the problem the
district is experiencing in
waiting for the South Carolina
General Assembly to approve
its own 2012-2013 budget
with only a few days left
before the end of the fiscal
year. It was noted that the
district had to use $32,000
from its fund balance to
balance the budget. “We’re
between a rock and a hard
place,” Schwarting said,
adding the district has never
been in this shape this late in
the game.”
In telling board members
that she needed a budget to
operate on, District One
Finance Director Devon Furr
encouraged the board to
approve the current budget,
even though it may need to be
amended in July. “Last year
never was this bad,” Furr said,
adding “I’ve never been
through this before.”
Also during the meeting
Dale Collier of Brownstone
Construction Group gave an
update on the district’s
building and renovation
projects:
• Collier, in noting he had
a “good report” for Bamberg-
Ehrhardt High School stated
that Thompson-Turner
Construction Company has
embarked on the “most
critical” juncture of work.
With the school out for the
summer vacation “major
demolition and new work” has
started in the band, music,
gymnasium, media center,
classrooms and other areas of
the school to bring the
building up to code.
Improvements include the
installation of new HVAC,
Sprinkler, Fire Alarm and
lighting systems. In the
gymnasium, work will consist
of new HVAC and painting. A
final Occupancy Inspection by
the State Department of
Education’s Office of School
Facilities is planned for
August 9, 2012.
• Collier reported that
Bamberg-Ehrhardt Middle
School “critical re-roofing” of
the gymnasium is complete.
Work at BEMS is concentrated
in the Kitchen and Cafeteria
areas of the building. Work is
now underway to upgrade the
kitchen (flooring, equipment,
serving line, etc.) and
Cafeteria (New tile)
• Collier reported that at
the new Richard Carroll
Elementary School,
contractors have committed to
having all work completed and
verified to allow the District to
take full occupancy of the new
building after the week of the
July 4, 2012 holiday. He noted
the “Final Inspection” with the
SDE Office of School
Facilities has been held and
DHEC has also given the
Kitchen an “A” rating okaying
it for use.
“Without Dale’s (Collier)
assistance and the two
architectural firms, we
wouldn’t be where we are
today,” Superintendent
Schwarting said in thanking
Collier for all his work in the
district’s construction and
renovation projects.
