Local residents are encouraged to attend the Columbus Municipal School District public budget hearing at 6 p.m. today at Brandon Central Services.
The hearing gives the public an opportunity to learn and ask questions about CMSD’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2015-2016 before the district approves the budget in August.
On Monday, new CMSD business manager Tammie Holmes presented a FY 2015-2016 budget proposal with $44,897,689 in total revenues and $44,509,145 in total expenditures to board members.
The district will be requesting about $14,000 less from local taxpayers in ad valorem taxes and will be requesting 52.05 mills valued at $207,000 each. School districts can request as many as 55 mills.
Holmes proposed $2,820,335 in debt service payment in FY 2015-2016, which is $1.6 million less than the district allotted for debt service payments last year.
Board member Glenn Lautzenhiser asked Holmes about the reduction of debt service and if that would allow the district to give back money to the taxpayers.
“We had a significant reduction in the debt portion of our request and we had a significant increase in the operational portion of our request,” Lautzenhiser said. “I remember (school board member) Mr. (Jason) Spears saying at the last meeting that the taxpayers, whenever they approved the bond referendum for Columbus Middle School, did not think they were voting themselves a permanent tax increase. They expected to get that back when the debt was paid off, that they would get that back in the form of a millage reduction. Can you explain why we reduced the debt so much but we’ve increased the operations side?”
CMSD Superintendent Dr. Philip Hickman responded that it is the district’s job to set a budget “around the educational needs of children.”
“That’s the only explanation,” Hickman said. “Because we were fortunate enough to reduce our debt, we still have needs coming out of our operations. So, it’s not that we took the money out of there and put it here, just because that money was available.”
Hickman said the tax assessor sets the millage rate, not the district. He pointed out the district is asking for three fewer mills than it did last year.
“There is no way that there’s an argument that we are getting more than what we deserve,” Hickman said, “because our kids deserve the best.”
Revenues
Holmes said the district is projecting $44,897,689 in revenues for FY 2015-2016.
State revenues will make up $21.9 million of the budget. Funds from the Mississippi Adequate Education Program have increased this year. MAEP provided $19.4 million to CMSD in FY 2014-2015. It will give out $20.1 million this year.
Federal money accounts for approximately $10 million. That money is primarily divided among the office of child nutrition to provide meals for CMSD students, Title 1 funds for Pre-K and alternate education, and money to provide for special education.
Expenditures
CMSD is projecting $44,509,145 in expenditures in FY 2015-2016. The district will allot $22.7 million for instructional services, an increase of $500,000 from last year. Holmes said the increase came from state mandated teacher pay raises.
The district is projecting $15.7 million in support services expenses and $3.2 million in non-instructional services. CMSD will pay off $2.8 million in debt service this school year, according to the proposed budget.
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