VIDALIA — The Concordia Parish School Board has a current balance of $19.5 million, despite the increased costs and decreased revenues of 2010.

Business Manager Tom O’Neal presented the 2010 audit to the school board at Tuesday night’s meeting, saying it was a very good year financially.

O’Neal said the general fund for the board, which comprises 80 percent of the budget, was up $2.6 million from last year.

The sales-tax fund, which comprises the other 20 percent of the budget, was lower this year by $198,000.

O’Neal said the CPSB did a very good job budgeting, because the board lost $1.8 million in state funding this year, and still managed to recover.

“We lost all this money, and we did not have to lay anyone off or take away any programs,” he said. “We would not be able to continue this for long, but the fact that we lost money and found other ways to make up for says a lot.”

In other news:

The nine board members raised their right hands and were sworn into office to serve for this year’s term by Clerk of Court Clyde Ray Webber before starting the meeting.

Board member Darlene Baker made a motion to keep the current officer appointments, and the board voted unanimously to do so.

Gary Parnham will remain as the president of the board, and Raymond T. Riley will remain as the vice president.

Committee appointments were also up for discussion, and were also voted unanimously to stay the same.

Board member Fred T. Butcher made a suggestion to all board members representing the Town of Ferriday.

Butcher asked that on the Wednesday before the school board meeting each month, each Ferriday board member meet with principals and assistant principals from all Ferriday schools to discuss items pertaining to their schools.

The Ferriday members agreed to start the Wednesday meetings in February.

The board also voted to keep the schedule for the monthly school board meetings the same for 2011.

The board will meet at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month

Board member Raymond Riley asked that the meeting in March be moved to a different time to coincide with Spring Break and the meeting in May to be moved to avoid being the same night as Ferriday High School’s graduation. Riley’s request was approved.

The board voted to approve the financial report for the month of December at a total cost of $3,746,314.