The Oktibbeha County School District approved their $11.3 million budget Monday night in a brief meeting where they also raised the price of school lunches.
The budget was approved without change from what Superintendent James Covington presented a week ago. The budget calls for $11.2 million in total revenues and $11.3 million in total expenditures, for a $54,157 deficit. Covington explained the revenue total does not include $657,200 in funding from other sources.
The majority of this is a $450,200 loan made for the purchase of new school buses, Covington said.
The board approved an amended resolution Monday for the purchase of these buses.
Herman Bush was absent, but the other four board members were present for the special called meeting.
School lunches for full-pay students will rise to $2 after Labor Day, up from the $1.75 they are currently paying.
“Once we got the menu and food prices, we had to make an adjustment of what we charge the full-pay students,” Covington said.
Adult lunch prices will rise to $2 from $1.85, and reduced lunch prices will stay at 40 cents. Even with the increase, Covington said the price does not completely cover the actual cost of the meal. He said the state reimburses for free and reduced lunches at the rate of about $2.50 per lunch.
New software to be implemented shortly will allow the district to customize menus to meet state nutritional standards and be more appealing to students.
The price increase was approved unanimously on Cynthia Ward”s motion and Charles Avant”s second.
The board voted to allow their bond attorney to explore the possibility of refinancing what remains of the construction loan the district took out for school renovations during the 2001-2002 school year.
“He thinks we can save roughly $50,000 the first year,” Covington said of the anticipated savings.
Covington will bring back information at the next meeting once details have been gathered. The district pays $232,000 a year on this note, and refinancing it at the lower interest rates could make a significant savings. The board approved the investigation on Melvin Harris” motion and Ward”s second.
“I want to save money, but we need to earmark it for something else,” Harris said.
The board also approved American Fidelity insurance as the district”s sole provider of disability insurance. By accepting their bid and designating the company the sole provider, American Fidelity guarantees it will write policy for everyone who applies, “no matter what disability or ailment comes to the table,” Covington said.
The policy they offer also has lower rates than the ones previously available to district employees. The board took this action on Ward”s motion and Avant”s second.
In other business, they district accepted the donation of a 1995 Ford F100 pickup truck from Mississippi State University for the maintenance department.
Before the meeting adjourned, Board President Curtis Snell directed Covington to only list per diem and travel on next month”s consent agenda, leaving the approval of requests as a separate business item. He also directed that the Aug. 4 claims docket be put back on the agenda at the next board meeting.
The board had no business to conduct in closed session Monday and will meet again at 6 p.m. Sept. 6 in the central office board room.
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