The Columbus Municipal School District Board of Trustees on Monday approved its budget for Fiscal Year 2023.
At its special-call meeting, the board will request $11.4 million from the city council from ad valorem taxes for operations. The approval comes a week after the first public budget hearing.
The request is up $608,904.38 from last fiscal year’s request of $10,792,525.86, which is 4 percent more than last year’s request. Legally a public school district can claim the collections of any of the previous three fiscal years, plus up to 4 percent, as its base that it can request from ad valorem taxes for operations.
With the funding increase, CMSD’s tax rate would jump by 1.24 mills to a total of 64.15.
After the abrupt resignation of former Superintendent Cherie Labat, Interim Superintendent Dennis Dupree will not begin until the end of August. Because of this, the board unanimously gave signatory power of the budget certification and bank accounts to Assistant Superintendent Craig Chapman.
Board president Yvonne Cox said at the end of the meeting the board is looking forward to Dupree’s leadership.
“We are all just excited, elated and looking forward to a school year that’s going to move in a positive direction for our school district,” Cox said.
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