Superintendent Dr. Philip Hickman on Tuesday presented the Columbus Municipal School Board of Trustees approximately $1 million in proposed amendments to the 2014-2015 budget and all but one was approved.
Hickman explained to the board that the budget amendments to the year, which ends July 1, dealt with money not spent by June 30.
Hickman said he and former business manager Tammie McGarr went through the budget and found $999,191 — or eight-tenths of a percent of the district’s overall budget — that could be used for projects in the 2015-2016 school year.
“With that money left over, these are the items I’m proposing that will allow us to ear mark the fund balance for these specific items,” Hickman said.
The first item on Hickman’s list: A 1:1 technology initiative, which will ultimately enable each student in the district to have personal technology devices.
Hickman said the program CMSD aims to begin in 2015-2016, is a pilot program which will give Mac Books to each ninth grader this year at Columbus High School. The program will cost the district $132,000.
The program would eventually expand to all grades should this pilot program prove successful, Hickman added.
The Lowndes County School District begins its 1:1 technology initiative at each high school this coming school year.
Objection raised
The list Hickman proposed had a total of 20 items.
In addition to the 1:1 initiative, Hickman’s proposed amendments to the 2014-2015 budget included: $164,757 for elementary school iPads and technology upgrades; $135,000 for an air conditioning system at Franklin Academy Auditorium; $70,000 for a district wide WiFi update; $50,000 for a pre-school curriculum (the district currently does not have one); and $150,000 for band equipment. (For this last item, Hickman brought a student’s trombone with duct-tape on the spit valve to illustrate the need.)
CMSD board member Jason Spears objected to the list, saying the district should not go forward spending money that is projected, not guaranteed, to be in the final budget.
Spears wanted a more specific breakdown of how the money would be spent. He said many of the items should be placed in the normal budget for 2015-2016.
Board president Angela Verdell pointed out the money had already been budgeted for last year, and the district could be assured it had these funds.
“We should have funds set aside in the budget for those items,” Spears countered.
“And this is a budget amendment clip,” Verdell said. “So essentially, it’s a request to do what it is you’re saying we should do.”
“Right,” Spears replied. “But what I’m saying is, why are we saying let’s spend last year’s dollars when we should just be saying when we get our budget it will be there next year.”
Spears continued to express doubt that CMSD will have the nearly $1 million to pay for the 20 amendments.
Hickman, though, pushed back, saying the district’s former business manager told him the district will have $1.4 million unspent when the 2014-2015 books are closed in August, and that his figure has a conservative cushion to ensure it could be paid for.
Spears made a motion that Hickman’s proposed budget amendment not be accepted.
Board member Currie Fisher then proposed a substitute motion for the amendments to be approved. Verdell seconded. Verdell and Fisher voted in favor of the motion, while Spears and board member Glenn Lautzenheiser opposed. Board member Stephen Jones abstained and the motion died.
At that point, Jones proposed each individual item be voted on.
Spears pointed out that doing so would violate Robert’s Rules of Order, the recognized guide to running public meetings effectively. Board attorney David Dunn said the board could vote to suspend Robert’s Rules of Order to carry out Jones’ motion.
Jones motioned to suspend the rules. Spears substituted a motion for the rules to not be suspended, which was seconded by Lautzenheiser, but failed 2-3 in a vote.
“I suspended the rules so we can conduct business,” Jones said. “Because it doesn’t seem like anybody here can get along. We’ve got to be looking at the kids.”
Jones again motioned to suspend the rules and the vote passed 3-2, with Spears and Lautzenheiser opposed.
Ultimately, the board voted to accept 19 of Hickman’s 20 proposed budget amendments.
The only one that was not approved was $49,000 for a FishTree management system, which assists teachers and parents in monitoring the progress of students.
However, the board then voted 3-2 to create a $49,000 line item in the 2015-2016 budget for the FishTree management system.
The board will host its public budget hearing for the 2015-2016 fiscal year July 28.
WorkKeys testing update
Also on Tuesday, the CMSD board voted to explore fully financing the WorkKeys test for all of the districts’ upperclassmen.
Hickman told the board the plan is for all juniors and seniors to have the chance to take the test, which is a benchmark requirement for many manufacturing jobs in the Golden Triangle.
CMSD began offering the test to students in the spring. As it stands, the Golden Triangle Development LINK pays for half of the test ($25) and each student pays the other portion ($20) individually.
The board wants to explore paying for the each students’ half in the future.
Hickman added that the district would like to offer an after-school program for students who take the WorkKeys test. He said the preparation program will be run in conjunction with East Mississippi Community College.
Spears asked why the district had not looked into fully paying for all students who want to take the test and said there should be some training available during the school day for students who want to take WorkKeys.
Hickman responded that the test functions like the ACT — the school does not require students take it, but simply offers it. (The district recently began offering the ACT free of charge.)
“We seem to find money to spend when we want to spend,” Spears said. “Instead of charging a student $20 — I know it’s not against the law for us to pay that fee — why don’t we look to be able to fund every student who wants to be part of the program?”
Other business
The trustees approved the position of professional development and parent involvement coordinator. The position pays $78,000, which will be paid for by Title One federal dollars, not CMSD.
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