The Cumberland County Budget Committee yesterday unanimously approved a motion to accept a line-item change of $750,000 in the Cumberland County Board of Education budget. This additional funding will close a gap in the cost of building the new Crab Orchard Elementary School versus the budgeted amount for the project.

Tuesday afternoon’s budget committee meeting had been recessed to allow the Board of Education time to meet to discuss and vote on the transfer of funds from the maintenance and repair services line item – which had designated for partially funding the reroofing of Cumberland County High School – to the capital-improvements fund. The reroofing project is part of a two-year capital improvement.

When the meeting reconvened yesterday afternoon, the lone topic for discussion was the re-allocation of funds toward the new school construction.

Should the entire $750,000 not be needed for completion of the elementary school, Finance Director Nathan Brock said, “unused capital monies [get] returned to the debt-service fund. [It goes] to the principal payment, so you’re reducing the amount of your debt.”