JEFFERSON — Although the Jefferson city school system has had to adjust its budget to accommodate state budget cuts, school officials say they are on track to come out on top financially if things continue as they have for the past month.

"Since the end of October, we’ve collected $372,000 in (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) funds," school system Superintendent John Jackson said during Thursday’s board of education meeting. "If budget cuts hold where they are, we should come out okay."

The meeting was held in the Performing Arts Center of Jefferson High School at 575 Washington St.

During the meeting, the group also discussed student performance on the writing portion of the Georgia High School Graduation Test.

"We’ve seen improvement in the number of students who are passing the test and the number of students who are exceeding standards on the test," said Sherrie Gibney-Sherman, Jefferson school system associate superintendent.

According to staff reports, 86 percent of students who took the exam this year met test standards, compared to the 80 percent of test-takers who met exam standards last year.

Also this school year, 10 percent of test-takers exceeded standards on the writing test, which is an improvement from the 8 percent of students who exceeded standards last year.

The board also recognized Matt Buchanan, a Jefferson High School junior, who made a perfect score on the math portion of the SAT.