February 1st, 2017 by WCBC Radio

Allegany County Board of Education member Wayne Foote tells WCBC News that the board’s fiscal situation has reached a near crisis level based on poor decisions made over the course of several years. That, combined with low teacher morale, leaves the board with a tremendous challenge in the next few months.  Finance Director Larry McKenzie says the state is expected to fund the school board $78.7 million. The county has indicated it will fund the BOE $30.2 million for 2018. The funding amount supplied by the county is the minimum funding level allowable under state law, known as “maintenance of effort.”  Foote says the decision in recent years to rely on the reserve fund to balance the budget has proven disastrous…