Fore Note: I told you what would happen. When you dance with the devil, you have to pay the fiddler. 

Oak Ridge City Council votes to give $250,000 to school system

Oak Ridge City Council members took action to avoid a possible shut down of Oak Ridge Schools due to a potential loss of state funding.

City Council voted to transfer $250,000 to Oak Ridge Schools to ensure the school system continues to get state money and stays open. The resolution passed 4-1, with one council member abstaining from the vote.

City manager Mark Watson said each year the city must contribute a consistent amount to the school system to get state money. He said some money from a half cent sales tax that was meant to pay off the high school debt was reported as revenue by the school system since 2011. That caused the city-state funding balance to shift this fiscal year, and resulted in a $393,000 budget shortfall.

The school system made some cuts, but still needed $250,000 to meet the local funding requirement. Without the money, it risked losing millions in state funding.

Council members said the money transfer is a short term fix, and said the problem needs to be resolved, or it will happen again.