LIBERTY — Faced with the potential loss of more than $400,000 in state and federal funds, Amite County school board members on Thursday reviewed a $9.5 million fiscal 2008-09 budget that includes a 1.4-mill property tax increase.
District business manager Sherie Jones presented the budget during a public hearing Thursday evening. No county residents attended the meeting.
The board is expected to approve the budget during a 10 a.m. meeting on June 26. It takes effect July 1.
The Amite County Board of Supervisors will vote on the tax increase.
The proposed budget is $198,584 less than the current $9.7 million budget.
The 1.4-mill increase will raise the school district’s total millage to 27.3 mills.
It would add about $14 extra to the annual property taxes on a $100,000 house with homestead exemption.
Despite the increase, Amite County will still have the second-lowest school district property tax rates in Mississippi, according to the Mississippi Tax Commission. Issaquena County has the lowest at 22.99 mills.
The millage increase is expected to help offset the increased cost of school district operations and the loss of Mississippi Adequate Education Program funds, and the potential loss of federal Secure Rural Schools and Security Self-Determination Act funds totaling $445,177.
Jones said the district will lose $210,979 in MAEP funds. The state funds comprise 60 percent of the school district’s revenue.
The school district is losing the money because of declining enrollment. Last year, the district received about $100,000 in “hold harmless” funds that were given to school districts with declining enrollment during 2007-08 school year to prevent a loss of funds. Jones said the hold harmless funds were not renewed this year.
The federal Secure Schools fund, which provides federal funds to counties and school districts that have national forest lands inside their boundaries, was not renewed in the recently passed Federal Energy Act. The Homochitto National Forest goes through Amite County.
A move to extend the funding, which is included in another bill, is stalled in Congress, and President Bush has threatened to veto the bill unless changes to it are made.
According to the spending plan, local tax revenues will generate $2.3 million, or 24 percent, of the budget.
State funding makes up the bulk of the revenue, $5.6 million or 60 percent.
Federal funds, at just $317,198 make up 3 percent of the budget.
According the proposed budget, the school district is expected to spend a projected $9.48 million for operation and maintenance.
The majority of that cost — $5.59 million — is expected for salaries for teachers, administrators a non-certified employees such as cafeteria workers, secretaries, bus drivers and maintenance employees.
That salary total includes $190,453 in raises authorized by the state Department of Education and a 5 percent pay raise for school employees other than teachers and teacher assistants.
The salaries also include supplemental pay for high school and junior high school coaches, the high school’s band director and the high school cheerleader and choir sponsors.
The board members approved the supplements on June 12 by a 3-1 vote. Board member Albert White Sr. opposed the supplements because the supplements for the baseball and softball coaches were cut from $2,500 to $1,500.
White, whose brother, Ledell White, is the head baseball coach, said the supplements were set at $2,500 last year when former Superintendent of Schools Charles Kirkfield added the sports and reinstituted the band program at Amite County High School.
The $2,500 supplement was retained for the band director.
“I don’t have a problem with the band director getting the supplement. He deserves it,” White said. “But I don’t think it’s right that the supplements were cut for the baseball and softball coaches.”
White said the board should have reduced other supplements in the athletic department to help the coaches.
The school’s head football coach/athletic director receives a total annual supplement of $10,000. The assistant head football coach gets a $2,000 supplement as assistant head coach, plus $1,000 as assistant athletic director, and a $1,500 supplement as the school’s powerlifting coach. The basketball and track coaches each get a $1,500 supplement.
White said the low supplements could force coaches to go to other schools and the loss of athletic programs.
“The coaches aren’t going to coach for a supplement like that,” he said. “And if we don’t have the programs, the kids will leave and go to schools where those programs are.”
Besides the salaries, other major school district costs include:
• Building repairs and utility costs, $741,567.
• Textbooks and supplies, $617,017.
• Contractual services for items such as the board attorney, pest control, consultants and special programs for career development, $268,750.
• Two school buses — a 77-passenger bus and a 14-passenger mini-bus — $114,742.
According to the spending plan, local tax revenues will generate $2.3 million, or 24 percent of the budget.
State funding makes up the bulk of the revenue, $5.6 million or 60 percent.
Federal funds, at just $317,198 make up 3 percent of the budget.
According the proposed budget, the school district is expected to spend a projected $9.48 million for operation and maintenance.
The majority of that cost — $5.59 million — is expected for salaries for teachers, administrators a non-certified employees such as cafeteria workers, secretaries, bus drivers and maintenance employees.
That salary total includes $190,453 in raises authorized by the state Department of Education, and a 5 percent pay raise for school employees other than teachers and teacher assistants.
The salaries also include supplemental pay for high school and junior high school coaches, the high school’s band director and the high school cheerleader and choir sponsors.
The board members approved the supplements on June 12 by a 3-1 vote.
Board member Albert White Sr. opposed the supplements because the supplements for the baseball and softball coaches were cut from $2,500 to $1,500.
White, whose brother, Ledell White, is the head baseball coach, said the supplements were set a $2,500 last year when former Superintendent of Schools Charles Kirkfield added the sports and reinstituted the band program at Amite County High School.
The $2,500 supplement was retained for the band director.
“I don’t have a problem with the band director getting the supplement. He deserves it,” White said. “But I don’t think it’s right that the supplements were cut for the baseball and softball coaches.”
White said the board should have reduced other supplements in the athletic department to help the coaches.
The school’s head football coach/athletic director receives a total annual supplement of $10,000 — $8,000 for being head coach, and $2,000 for athletic director. The assistant head football coach gets a $2,000 supplement as assistant head coach, plus $1,000 as assistant athletic director, and a $1,500 supplement as the school’s powerlifting coach.
The basketball and track coaches each get a $1,500 annual supplement.
White said the low supplements could force coaches to go to other schools and the loss of athletic programs.
“The coaches aren’t going to coach for a supplement like that,” he said. “And if we don’t have the programs, the kids will leave and go to schools where those programs are.
“We’re losing kids from the district now. We need to bring kids in. Having these (athletic) programs will help attract them,
“ he said.
Besides the salaries, other major school district costs include:
• Building repairs and utility costs, $741,567.
• Textbooks and supplies, $617,017.
• Contractual services for items such as the board attorney, pest control, consultants and special programs for career development, $268,750.
• Two school buses — a 77-passenger bus and a 14-passenger mini-bus — $114,742.
