School district above state average in available reserve funds
SARASOTA COUNTY — During their 4 p.m. work session Tuesday, Sarasota County School Board members will receive a budget update on how they compare with other Florida school districts in terms of unassigned fund balance.
The report on the amounts for fiscal year 2010-2011 — the most recent information available, according to Al Weidner, deputy chief financial officer for the district — were requested by the School Board. “They were just curious as to what the average was,” Weidner said Monday. “We’re above the state average.” In the 21st position — out of 67 districts — Sarasota County Schools has an unassigned fund balance of more than $52 million, or just over 14 percent of their budget. District expenditures for the 2010-11 fiscal year total more than $370 million. The state average is just over 8 percent.