The Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees approved its $59.4 million Fiscal Year 2016-17 budget Thursday, and figures from the county tax office show the value of a school mill will bring in about $15,000 more to the district than it did last year.
Officials are expected to ask the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors to keep the school tax rate — a combined 66.05 mills — level once the levying authority sets its budget in September, but an increase in the county’s assessment evaluation means the district will receive roughly an extra $842,000 for operations, $157,000 for debt service and $15,700 to support the Millsaps Career and Technology Center.
Fifty-five mills will fund operations, while 10.05 mills will subsidize debt service requirements. The district also levies 1 mill for the vocational center.
A school mill previously brought in about $330,879. It is forecast to provide $345,897 in the upcoming fiscal year.
“We always like good news,” said school board President Jenny Turner.
The additional funds are expected to provide SOCSD with more of a financial cushion as administrators attempt to improve its reserve fund balance.
In last week’s budget hearing, SOCSD Chief Financial Officer Tammie McGarr said the district is expected to close the ending fiscal year with a projected $2.37 million, or 5.73 percent of its budget, remaining in reserve.
Next fiscal year, she said, the district should have an ending fund balance of $3.19 million, or about 7.58 percent.
The school board unanimously approved its $59.4 million budget for FY 2016-17 during Thursday’s special-called session. It shows the district will take in $55.81 million from local, state and federal sources, while expending $59.4 million on operations, construction and debt service.
The funding gap between the revenues and expenses is a clerical one since construction funds previously procured in the last fiscal year will carry over and cover upcoming line items.
Instruction (46.98 percent) and support services (32.87 percent) make up the bulk of SOCSD’s FY 2016-17 expenditures. Debt service only accounts for about 7 percent of the total budget.
Salaries and fringe benefits remain the district’s largest specific cost, accounting for $35.34 million worth of the district budget.
The financial document also adds a combined $625,000 in new expenses for David Baggett’s assistant superintendent for personnel and secondary curriculum position; a Henderson-Ward Stewart library assistant and secretary; special education teachers at Henderson-Ward Stewart and Sudduth Elementary; a special education teacher’s assistant at Henderson-Ward Stewart; an 8-percent salary increase for cafeteria workers, custodial staff and school safety officers; and a 10 percent increase for bus drivers.
For classroom supplies and materials, SOCSD will allocate $25 per elementary student, $35 per middle schooler and $40 for each high school pupil. Additional $4.50-per-student allocations are scheduled for art, music and physical education supplies and materials.
McGarr previously said the allocations exceed a $20-per-student minimum needed to meet accreditation standards.
School board expands cheerleader roster
School board members also unanimously voted to expand Starkville High School’s cheerleader squad from 14 to 17 slots, ending weeks of debate about how coaches picked members.
Cheerleader coaches said judges with no school district ties ranked participants in tryouts and the best squad was selected out of a natural break in the scores.
In previous meetings, parents chastised the district for the selection process and small squad, saying the district should expand the cheerleading roster to as many as 23 students and divide the group between a competition squad comprised of the best athletes and a junior squad that would focus on teaching the basics and filling in for the competition group.
SOCSD Superintendent Lewis Holloway said the district is not expected to incur additional costs with the move.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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