The Fayette Board of Education last week appointed a familiar face to serve out the term vacated by board member Kristen Gibbs, who resigned her seat at the board’s May meeting when she and her family relocated outside of the district. Returning to the BOE is former board vice president Matt Hudson. He had previously served two terms but decided not to run for a third in the most recent election in April. Now, just two months later, he has returned to serve the remaining nine months of Gibbs’s term, which expires in April 2025.

When Gibbs vacated her seat, the board asked for anyone residing in the district who was interested in serving to submit a resume to the district’s central office by the end of May. Two resumes were received, and Hudson was appointed by board President Skip Vandelicht and unanimously approved by the board.

“In all honesty, I just want to keep helping make Fayette better,” Hudson told this newspaper. “The town is on the upswing. We have to keep the train moving forward.”

The district also welcomed incoming high school principal Jason Hannam, who attended Wednesday’s meeting. He will take over for Ross Dobson, who, after two years in Fayette, is returning to his alma mater in New Franklin this fall. The transition officially takes place on July 1.

“I’ve been over here about a dozen days, meeting people and working on things,” Hannam told the board.

Board members also approved the operating budget for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. 

Estimated revenues for the 2024-25 school year total $9,018,756, an increase of more than $1.2 million over last year. More than half of that comes from local taxes. The assessed valuation of property within the district is also projected to increase by approximately 2 percent, which raises the amount of money the district gains from its property tax levy.

Expenditures are projected at $8,676,595, which includes a $500 increase to base salaries. The new base salary will be $36,500, which inches the district closer to the $40,000 minimum that will be mandated by the state by 2027.

The district will finish the current fiscal year with a fund balance of around 61%, far higher than the board’s minimum of 25%. The board voted to transfer more money into the district’s capital improvement fund.

“We finished the year really, really well,” said Superintendent Brent Doolin. 

The district has more than $114,000 left over from the current year’s budget from three unfilled positions. Those positions are included in next year’s budget yet remain unfilled as the district moves into a new fiscal year.

In other business, members discussed the ongoing need for substitute teachers. The board entertained pay raises for substitutes and will consider hosting a substitute job fair.

The board also learned that the energy savings from the new HVAC equipment districtwide were much more significant than anticipated. Veregy, the company that spearheaded the project, anticipated a savings of $3,181. Actual savings were $17,546.

“The facilities are operating much more efficiently than anticipated,” the company reported in its utility review. “While some of this is due to the equipment installed, another important part of this is the outstanding way that the district is managing the buildings, including maintaining occupied and unoccupied schedules and temperatures,” the report stated.

The school board meets on the third Wednesday of every month except for July at 6:30 p.m. in the high school library. Meetings are open, agendas are published in advance, and the public is invited.