Poplarville school board adopts $17.7 million budget

Local News

July 13, 2011

By David A. Farrell, Item Staff Writer The Picayune Item Picayune Item Wed Jul 13, 2011, 11:15 AM CDT

POPLARVILLE — The Poplarville school board on Monday night adopted a $17.7 million school general fund budget for the 2011-2012 school year. The new fiscal year runs from July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012.

The budget contemplates no millage rate hikes in the district, school officials said. School officials said the millage supporting the budget will remain the same as last year’s, 54 mills for maintenance and three mills for retirement of a 15-year note. Total millage last year was 57 mills.

The vote to accept the new budget was unanimous.

Members are board president Violine Jordan, vice president Samuel Gentry, secretary Shirline Magee and members Lisa Graves and Tommy Strahan.

Supt. Carl Merritt was not at the board meeting. He was out-of-town, board officials said, and Glenda Malley, head of curriculum, sat in for Merritt in the 30-minute session that covered 15 agenda items.

The news that there will be no millage rate increase is good news for district property owners, who are feeling the pinch in a prolonged economic recession, and the school board tightened its belt to reach its current figures.

Following a June 21 budget hearing, during which only two district residents attended the open meeting that is required by state law, officials said they did not contemplate having to raise taxes this year, although they cautioned the budget still needed tweaking.

School officials said they projected revenue at $17.7 million for the new budget. Of that amount, $5.7 million was projected to be raised from local taxes. The remainder of the general fund budget is supported with state and federal revenue.

Projected expenditures were placed at $20 million but that included $2 million in capital outlays. The board is carrying out major renovation projects on all four school campuses.

Figures presented at the June 21 hearing also showed a beginning general fund balance on July 1 of $14.7 million, well above the seven percent fund balance required by the state to be maintained by the board.

In other matters, the board:

— Approved a request from the Children’s Center for Communication.

— Approved a collaborative agreement with Miss. Action for Progress, Inc.

— Approved, from 80 cents per mile to $1, an increase charged by the transportation department. The increase would be applied to reimbursements to the transportation department from other departmental uses of buses, an internal transfer.

— Approved the Miss. Educator Code of Ethics of Standards of Conduct Policy.

— Approved the following handbooks: Employee handbook; middle, upper, lower and high school handbooks; transportation handbook; food service employee handbook; new teacher induction employee handbook; substitute handbook; and athletic handbook.

— Approved personnel resignations and recommendations.

— Acknowledged no bids on a hunting and fishing lease for Sec. 16-1-17 and authorized re-advertising the lease.

— Approved cancellation of a hunting and fishing lease.

— Approved advertising for a lease for hunting and fishing on 16-3-14, or 647 acres.

— Approved publishing the fiscal year 2011-2012 original budget.

— Approved advertising for bids for used school equipment.

— Approved the consent agenda, include: Release students, accept out-of-district students, purchase of SEAS IEP special education management system as a sole-source purchase; claim docket, payroll, financial statement, activity fund receipts, and minutes of the June 13, 16 and 21 board meetings.

— Adjourned to Aug. 8 at 6 p.m.

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