SOCSD facing budget cuts in 2018
Most of the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District’s departments will see funding cuts, following a budget work session at the School Board meeting Tuesday.
The Board held a public budget work session for the 2018 fiscal year, including the main operating funds of the district. Funds covered included the District Maintenance Fund, Local Special Education Fund, Alternative School Fund and Vocational Fund These are funded by MAEP (Mississippi Adequate Education Program) and local ad valorem taxes.
Chief Financial Officer Tammie McGarr said she would not be completely sure of the ad valorem taxes until Oktibbeha County released its tax projections in mid-July. However, McGarr said she did not expect any change from the previous fiscal year. Total expenditures in the budget are listed at $42,405,904 — 1.15 percent less than fiscal year 2017.
“Because the budget was so tight this year, we ended up having to cut the departments about 10 percent,” said SOCSD Chief Financial Officer Tammie McGarr. “I know there’s not going to be a lot of happy people, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.”
The choir program will have funding cut by 12.33 percent, due to the instructor requesting a larger cut and being able to operate the program on less for 2018. Repair and maintenance will be cut five percent.
“They need pretty much all of the funds that we give them for needed repairs throughout the district,” McGarr said.
Despite the cuts, McGarr said she did not foresee
the district having a tax anticipation note for the fiscal year, and that she was expecting the district’s fund balance to be around $7 million.
“That’s very good news from where we were a couple of years ago,” said Superintendent Lewis Holloway.
Holloway, who was at his last Board meeting before retirement, advised Incoming Superintendent Eddie Peasant and the Board to not spend the fund balance money on salaries, but to use it for buildings and maintenance.
Holloway also said the district was seeing around $3 million savings in its budget from consolidation.
A public budget hearing will be held in mid July, following the release of the Oktibbeha tax projections. The next school board meeting is scheduled for July 6 at 6 p.m. in the boardroom at the Greensboro Center.