In years past, when the Mathews County School Board has held its end-of -year meeting, the school division has been able to apply $100,000 or more in surplus funds toward fuel, technology and other needs, and even once, back in 2006, give employees a 1 percent raise.

That certainly wasn’t the case this year, as school board members appeared happy just to squeak by with relatively little left over from its 2011-2012 budget … happy, that is, to have ended the fiscal year in the black.

School board members met last Thursday morning in the board’s conference room to approve the final bills for the soon-to-be-concluded fiscal year, as well as take care of some academic items for the coming school year.

Superintendent of Schools David J. Holleran said that he and the rest of the central office staff have been keeping a close eye on expenses, especially as the school year was winding down.

For the past few months, any expenditure of $50 or more had to be approved ...