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Turnout low for NASB budget forum
Published Friday, July 4, 2008
NATCHEZ — On Thursday the Natchez-Adams School Board hosted a public forum to discuss the school’s upcoming budget.
Two people, aside from school district employees and board members, attended the meeting.
Armando Ricci had a simple reason for attending the meeting.
“I want to see where my money’s going,” he said.
Barry Hopper accompanied Ricci to the meeting.
Hopper said he was not happy to see such a low turnout for the meeting.
“This is really important stuff,” he said of local public education. “There should be a lot more people here.”
The next step for the school year’s upcoming budget is to be approved at the Natchez-Adams School Board meeting on July 10.
The district’s business manager Margaret Parson said there is no reason to believe the budget will not be approved.
“It went well,” she said of the board’s discussion of the budget.
Parson said the district is scheduled to be operating with a budget of approximately $40 million for the upcoming school year.
And while $40 million sounds like a great sum, Parson said the district is projected to see a deficit.
Parson had previously said the school board would need approximately $23,000 in additional funding from Adams County.
That funding will not impact tax rates in the county, she said.
The deficit will come from a projected earning of approximately $39 million and spending of nearly $41 million.
Parson said the difference will come from the district’s own funding.
While no program cuts are currently scheduled, Parson said the district always examines programs to determine what could be saved.
Parson also said state funding to the district has decreased.
And lower funding rates combined with higher fuel, food and utility costs make for a tight budget.
“We have to pay for more with less,” Parson said.
After approval from the school board the budget must be presented to the Adams County Board of Supervisors by Aug. 15.
The supervisors are not required to vote on the school’s budget but are legally bound to comply with the district’s funding requests provided they do not alter the school’s millage allocation.
Parson said the funding request will not impact the millage.
Comments
Posted by concernedNTZcitizen (anonymous) on July 4, 2008 at 12:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I wasn't aware of the meeting. I don't get the paper everyday. Post the meetings on McLauren marquee and see if some of the banks will post it on their signs.
Posted by Bozo (anonymous) on July 4, 2008 at 7:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If they want to save money, they can start by turning the AC off when they leave at the end of the day, especially on the weekends. If people were around these school buildings after hours, they would be shocked to hear all the air conditioners running.
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on July 4, 2008 at 12:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In every financial area they could save money by returning to the system they had before West decided to put his 2cents in and messed it up. Revert back to neighborhood schools with North Natchez High and South Natchez High. Stop all this stupid waste of money for busing. Plus it would cut down on the traffic congestion that all the buses create on all the through fares, and in the meantime all the children will have a win-win situation. I'll bet dollars to donuts when this happens you will find more active adults and parents at the board meetings. 'Til then the board will be meeting by itself I assume. It's time to start listening to the citizens.
Posted by trulyblessed (anonymous) on July 4, 2008 at 2:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What in the world does West have to do with the condition of NASD. The school system was in this condition before West was elected into office. The condition of the school system has to do with the superintendent and the school board.
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on July 4, 2008 at 2:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Check your history. West did this long before he was mayor. And he raised his voiced until he got his way.
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on July 4, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree, we should go back to neighborhood schools so moms don't have to worry so much
Yes the busing would be much less
I remember when I could ride my bike to school and that helped out with my mom having one less thing to do.
I agree that a lot of people have just lost their concern because nothing has been done, even after great uproar over the failure of the current superintendent and the school board chairman. No changes have been made. Only personnel change in those positions will cause significant change. Morris and others will not put discipline into the school system. Teachers cannot do anything to the students. Students can curse and disobey teachers without any fear of significant disciplinary action.
It's the good ole black brother system. All the administrators are black and got each other's back. I know that sounds like a racist statement, but it sure seems to be the truth.
Posted by bombingeight (anonymous) on July 4, 2008 at 7:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
For a summary of the quality of Natchez schools, go to
http://www.greatschools.net and look at Natchez/Adams data. Compared to Mississippi schools, the results are not good. For a real comparison, select a city of your choice outside the "Deep South" and then do the same.
Posted by quest (anonymous) on July 4, 2008 at 8:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
FYI: ”That court order, issued by a federal judge, removed the district's unitary status; restructured its campuses; and placed strict guidelines on the racial balance of both classes and administrations.
The court order came as a result of a lawsuit filed by three Natchez couples, including two men who are now elected officials.” Quote from ND December 4, 1999
“West is one of several plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit, that led a 1989 integration court order.” Quote from ND December 6, 1999
And yes, it is sad that more people did not attend the meeting. Education in a community should be the concern of all citizens, not just those who have children in the shool system.
Posted by oldsaw (anonymous) on July 4, 2008 at 11:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What is wrong with all children being educated together? And what about Brown vs the Board of Education. This issue is and was, bigger than Natchez.
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on July 5, 2008 at 2:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
>>>Whats wrong with all children being educated together?<<<.
Please check out the number of white graduates versus the number of black graduates of Natchez High this year alone. 7 whites and next year there will only be 4 if they don't drop out or attend private school. Some White families are actually doing without food to pay tuition for private schools so they can get their children educated as they should be. It's not that they are bias against Blacks, but the truth has to be faced before it gets better or worse, whichever the case. Some Black families have also been forced to pay tuition at the private schools for better education.The low-life is forced, by law, to send their undisciplined kids to school, so there you go again, free baby sitting, with no-one having the back bone to demand free equality for the White kids who are most of the time terrorized by these low-lifes who care nothing about schooling and do not want an education to start with.
Posted by destiny (anonymous) on July 5, 2008 at 2:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Krogers, you speak only the truth and it's high time for others to get back bone enough to do the same. EQUALITY, no matter how you look at it, up one side, down the other and all away around it, has no bearing in Natchez, Ms. It's time for a change. REVERT TO THE OLD SYSTEM and start educating our children. They deserve that much in their young lives..
Posted by DSGB (anonymous) on July 5, 2008 at 5:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You know there is a lot of talking going on about the current state of the public education system in Natchez but how many of you are actually trying to do something about it. There are people on here whining about this and that and have all these wonderful solutions to put things back the way they were before, let's face reality people it cannot go back to the way it was before. The court system saw to it in its ruling so now the only thing to do is to make better of the current situation. It has been almost twenty years and some of you are still complaining about the same things, let it go and help to make it better.
You say because there is a black superintendent and all the prinicipals are black they have each others back, that is true but its the same as in any other good ole boy network, the only difference is this network hinders everybone in Natchez be they black or white. This click does not care about your race, if you don't fit in with them they will do everything in their power to remove you from the district. This click has no concern about the well being of our kids or the city of Natchez. Everyone in power in the Natchez Adams School District except for the newly hired Dr. Stanton has no ties to Natchez. The Superintendent, NHS principal Loftin, Lewis Middle has 3 principals not from Natchez, Morgantown head principal, the personnel director is not from Natchez and that click runs the district and is running it in the ground. But yet we complain instead of being a community that forces the school board to make a change. Most of you because you don't have kids in the system just want to throw stones and hide behind others while others of you know matter what happens will never be satisfied.
I am willing to bet if called upon to help make changes with the public school system most of you would find a reason not to. Do some research and find out how many teachers will be replaced in the district this year and I am not talking about from the retirees, you will be floored when you find out. With school slated to start on August 1 for staff, the district is still trying to fill almost 30 certified teaching positions in the areas of English, Social Studies, Math, Science, Computer Discovery, SPED, Reading, and Elementary Ed. There are lots of people from Natchez who have applied to the district full qualified with good credentials who have been turned away and are now working in Tensas Parish, Concordia Parish, Woodville, Port Gibson,Jefferson County, and Franklin County. These people have a vested interest and would love to be back home but that "NETWORK" which Dr. Edney and some school board members have let manifest won't allow it.
So to all you with criticism and finger pointing get off your butts and help to fix the public school system. It goes in education that if parents want it, it will be done!!!!!
Posted by niderbip (anonymous) on July 5, 2008 at 6:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
the turnout for the meeting says it all.
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