School board discusses budget

The Choctaw Plaindealer

The Choctaw County School Board held a budget hearing July 16 at 9 a.m. to explain the budget to anyone present.

Jean Clark, CCSD business manager, said she has eliminated everything she could to bring the budget numbers down. She said the district will have to "save every cent."

Clark said during this fiscal year, the district was cut $300,000 and will not receive that money. The state used that money to fully fund MAEP in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

She explained the budget, with the help of charts, to show where the budget money is used.

Clark said the district's major sources of revenue were state funds at 49.21 percent, local at 32.57 percent and federal at 18.22 percent.

She said that district maintenance receives approximately $400,000 per month from state and local funds after special funds are subtracted.

She the listed the expenditures by major function and the percentage of the budget they use. They are:

¥ Instruction 45.35 percent

¥ Support Services-General Administration 3.31 percent

¥ Debt Service 2.65 percent

¥ Support Services-Students 2.86 percent

¥ Support Services-Instruction staff 3.03 percent

¥ Support Services-School Administration 4.44 percent

¥ Support Services-Central 2.32 percent

¥ Non Instruction staff 4.66 percent

¥ Facilities and Construction 2.29 percent

¥ Support Services-Student transportation 3.63 percent

¥ Support Services-Operation and Maintenance 10.29 percent

Donna Shea, superintendent, said the district has cut positions where they could without any losing their job. She said as people leave, they have cut some assistant teacher positions, two positions at Central Office and not rehiring bus drivers when one quits.

"We are doing the best we can," said Shea.

She added that in the Transportation Department, Morgan Scribner, director, has been able to combine bus routes to make them better and shorter.

Shea said the school district has the right to increase taxes four percent every year, but the CCSD does not do that.

"But we did not do that because we understand (the economic situation)," said Shea.

After the pubic hearing, Clark said the CCSD is not going to ask for an increase in millage this year.

In the public hearing, Charlotte Cornish, assistant superintendent, explained the Title 1 stimulus funds and how they will be used.

Cornish said the CCSD and French Camp Academy will receive $627,000 in Title 1 stimulus funds and they must follow Title 1 guidelines.

She said the funds couldn't be used for something the district is already doing or to build buildings.

Cornish said the funds will be used to fund after school programs at all school except French Camp Elementary, who didn't want an after school program. Also, funds will be used to purchase and setup computer labs at Ackerman High School, Ackerman Junior High School and Weir Elementary School.

"We want to use the funds where they will impact education over a long period of time," said Cornish.

She added that the district's goal is to improve reading and math skills in all grades.

Michelle Larabee, special education director, explained how the Special Education stimulus funds would be used.

She said the CCSD Special Education will receive $370,000 and will be used to "improve technology in special education classrooms."

Larabee said the funds will purchase "big ticket purchases we normally couldn't afford and to update our equipment."

There will be a special board meeting to approve the budget July 23 a 7 p.m. at Central Office.

The next regular scheduled board meeting will be August 10 at 7 p.m. at Central Office.