Andalusia City Schools is expected to begin the next fiscal year with a $15.1 million budget and an ending fund balance of nearly $800,000 less than it started the current budget year, school officials learned Monday at the first of two budget hearings for the upcoming fiscal year.

The school system, like all school systems, is coming off of a budget year that had 7.5 percent proration.

In January, the board was forced to cut $630,000 from its budget.

The upcoming budget could possibly be prorated after the fiscal year begins, Jean Sellers, chief financial officer said.

ACS is projected to receive $8.9 million from the state of Alabama in the 2011 fiscal year, without any proration factored. This is a slight increase from what the system is expected to receive in the current year. Through July, the system has received $7.1 million of the nearly $8.9 million it was expected to receive by Sept. 30.

Still, it is a decrease from the $9.6 million the system received in fiscal year 2009.

The system’s state revenue would be even lower if it were not for federal funds from the stimulus package.

ACS is receiving a little more than $416,000 through the state’s Fiscal Stabilization Fund or “stimulus money” that must be spent by the end of fiscal year 2010-2011.

The total of 2011 revenues for ACS is $15.1 million, which breaks down as follows: 57.22 percent state revenues, 18.81 percent federal revenues, 16.43 percent local tax revenues, 2.77 percent local school revenues, 1.87 percent other local revenues and 2.9 percent other revenues.

The system’s expected expenditures are slightly less than revenues, with $56,000 to be used to pay on long-term debt.

Sellers said the $346,000 from the federal jobs bill will likely be used to fund local units that qualify and the system will save the revenues typically used to pay for these units.

The final budget hearing will be held Sept. 13, 2010 at 6 p.m.