The Columbus Municipal School District approved a one-time budget expenditure request during a special called meeting on Friday following a contentious discussion about the request during Monday’s regular board meeting.
Trustee Jason Spears had the expenditure request and the request to approve a budget increase from the district’s fund balance to pay for the expenditure removed from Monday’s agenda because he said he thought the matter should be further explored before spending the money.
The expenditure is in response to the Mississippi Department of Education’s release of 2015-16 accountability grades for public schools.
CMSD received a D.
Administrators within the district developed a plan to increase the district and its school’s scores that are based on the results of the Mississippi Assessment Program (MAP) for English language arts and Mathematics.
The plan will cost the district $642,022.58.
Board president Angela Verdell, board secretary Currie Fisher and board member Fredrick Sparks voted on Friday to approve the expenditure to implement the plan.
Sparks, along with board member Josie Shumake, had supported Spears’ motion to remove the expenditure from the agenda on Monday.
Spears and Shumake voted against the expenditure on Friday.
Specific requests
Cook, Fairview, Stokes Beard and Sale elementary schools, Franklin Academy and Columbus Middle School have requested additional support personnel to provide adequate growth-based interventions for identified bubble students — those who score within a few points either above or below proficiency — based on recent MAP and district benchmark data to increase the accountability rating from a D. The cost to the district would be $200,328.58.
Those schools, plus the Columbus Success Academy, have also requested the purchase of test banks for English language arts and science for practice test purposes before actual assessments at a cost of $15,272.
The same schools are in need of units of instruction to be revised for grades 3-10 to reflect current College and Career Readiness Standards instead of Common Core State Standards. That would cost $20,300.
Those schools also requested Saturday University and after-school training for staff and assistant teachers in the amount of $70,000 to pay stipends for training.
Columbus High School has requested a $3,400 expenditure for College and Career Readiness preparation to provide opportunities outside of the school day for students and parents to prepare for upcoming assessments.
The high school also requested the completion of the second phase of a SmartLab that would include a digital media lab to broadcast the Falcon Talk TV show and to provide daytime and after-school opportunities for students. That cost is estimated at $149,122. The cost covers computers and furniture.
The high school, middle school, and the Columbus Success Academy requested technology upgrades, including the purchase of additional laptops, iPads and monitors to support instruction in the amount of $108,600.
Franklin requested repairs or the replacement of an outdoor patio because it is damaged and leaking. It would cost $75,000.
Spears said he opposed the expenditure because each item was voted on simultaneously instead of individually.
“There (are) some I’m on board with, and there are others that I’m not,” he said.
Shumake agreed.
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