The Rush County Schools Board of Trustees met earlier this week. Among business discussed and acted on was the budget for 2009.

Superintendent of schools Dr. John Williams made a PowerPoint presentation detailing the process involved.

He explained there are two primary elements: revenue and expenditures.

According to Williams, roughly 60 percent of the corporation’s funds come from the state, 35 percent from local property taxes, and the remaining 5 percent from miscellaneous sources.

That money is split among the General Fund, Capital Projects Fund, Debt Service Fund, Transportation Fund, Bus Replacement Fund and the Pre-school Special Education Fund.

The board was reminded that once advertised and approved budget numbers could be lowered but they cannot be increased.

Nothing was decided this week, but here’s an overview of the timeline involved.

n July 29: Board budget work session.

n Aug. 5: Board considers authorizing the authority to advertise the budget.

n Aug. 19 and 27: Budget legal advertisements are published in the Rushville Republican.

n n Sept. 2: Public hearing on the budget takes place.

n Sept. 16: School board meets to consider final approval of the budget.

By law, the budget must be finalized and approved at the local level no later than Sept. 30.

Williams also discussed several changes that are in the works regarding how Indiana public school’s budgets are formulated, approved and implemented.

He clearly was not happy about some of those coming changes.