Jubilation over athletic director Jeremiah Scott’s coach-of-the-year award was dampened quickly by a review of Miller-McCoy’s finances at Monday night’s board meeting.

“We’re getting into some tricky times,” board member David Bailey said, before announcing a net negative income of approximately $293,000 during the July-to-November period.

The board discussed the main factors that contributed to Miller-McCoy’s expenses, including professional services, transportation and implementation of Common Core academic standards.

The generally glum report contained a sliver of good news: $76,000 is on the way after a revision of Miller-McCoy’s state allocation.

Bailey regretted that the official audit for the 2012-13 fiscal year was not ready Monday. He said the board should expect a full review at its January meeting.

Andrea Thomas-Reynolds, interim school CEO, reported on modifications to Common Core recently approved by Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“For Miller-McCoy, we’ve already invested in Common Core for this year,” Thomas-Reynolds said, adding that the standards would lead to greater academic rigor. She noted that a rule that could have stripped low-performing teachers of certification has been relaxed.

The board also discussed its current methods for advertising Miller-McCoy as an  enrollment choice. Board Vice Chairman Nathaniel Jones said that a survey distributed to recently enrolled students could be helpful in better targeting the school’s pitch. Billboard advertisements should be trilingual, he said, to reach Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking families as well as English speakers.

Others in attendance along with Bailey and Jones included board Chairman Michael Todd, Martin de Laureal, Blake Oakes, and Betty Hope.