Choctaw County School board approves budgets

The Choctaw Plaindealer

The Choctaw County School Board approved all budgets for the 2009-2010 school year, in a special meeting, July 23.

Each school's budget was approved separately due to board members' having a family member employed at the school. When it came to approve the school where the board member's family is employed, that board member stepped out of the room then returned after the vote.

¥ Beat 1 School Board Member Derek Hunt did not vote on the Ackerman High School budget.

¥ Beat 2 School Board Member Wilson Gammill did not vote on the Ackerman Elementary budget.

¥ Beat 3 School Board Member Linda McDaniel did not vote on the French Camp Elementary budget.

¥ Beat 4 School Board Member Bertha Miller did not vote on the Weir Elementary budget.

All board members present were allowed to vote on the Career and Technology Center, Weir High School and the Choctaw County District budgets.

Jean Clark, CCSD business manager, said the Choctaw County District budget consists of the Central Office budget, Transportation, utilities, janitorial staff and miscellaneous items.

All budgets were approved.

Before approving the budgets, Hunt asked Clark if the school taxes will be raised if they approve the schools' budgets. Clark said she did not know, at this time, if the school taxes will change from last year.

The board discussed the ad that ran in the newspaper, "Notice of Tax Increase," stating the CCSD planned to increase ad valorem tax millage rate by .50 mills.

Clark said that the CCSD is required by law to run that ad every year, whether or not the CCSD needs to increase taxes.

Beat 3 School Board Member Mike Thomas and Superintendent Donna Shea were absent from the budget approval board meeting.