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Schools cut $260K from new budget
Published Friday, August 14, 2009
NATCHEZ — The Natchez-Adams School District cut more than $260,000 from its budget Thursday evening.
District Business Manager Margaret Parson said the cuts came as part of a directive from the board’s last meeting when she was asked to look for areas to cut.
However not all Parson’s recommendation’s were taken.
District Superintendent Anthony Morris asked the board to reconsider some of Parson’s cuts because they went “too deep.”
“As an administrator and a parent, I have concerns,” Morris said of the original cuts.
The cuts Parson originally submitted equaled more then $444,000 and would have eliminated an assistant principal’s position at Robert Lewis Middle School.
Board member Thelma Newsome said while she understood the need for the cuts, she felt the assistant principal’s slot, which is currently vacant, should not be cut.
“We just need to look for other places to make cuts,” she said.
One position in public relations and one position in staff development, neither of which are currently filled, were cut and saved the district more than $170,000.
Other cuts included more than $40,000 from the district’s maintenance budget and more than $6,800 from the school’s athletics program.
In other news, the board re-adopted the interlocal agreement they originally voted on last month.
The agreement, which has now been adopted by Adams County the City of Natchez and the school board, will ask voters if they support the development of a recreation complex.
The question will appear as a non-binding referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot.
While the district originally adopted the motion at its meeting in July, changes made to the motion by the Adams County Board of Supervisors led to Thursday’s action.
“For the purposes of this board, nothing has changed,” said school board attorney Bruce Kuehnle.
The board also passed a motion Thursday that will bring new oversight to travel budgets.
Board member Harold Wayne Barnett requested that in the future all travel requests be accompanied with a report that outlines how much the person making the request has already spent on travel and how much is in their travel budget.
“I think this is something we need to keep and eye on,” he said.
Comments
Posted by iamamean1 (anonymous) on August 14, 2009 at 8:30 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on August 14, 2009 at 10:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
well that's a start
if you go in the high school principal's office
just notice how many people sitting around in there doing NOTHING....
these cuts are NOT DEEP ENOUGH......
and you're right iamamean1- our car tags are ridiculous, just for a motorcycle tag I had to pay $400, a new car is way more than that....it's bad for business...
we are Taxed Enough Already- join or organize a TEA party soon and express your concerns about what Democrats and liberals are doing to our country, we are going to have to rise up and work hard to get America back
go to gettingamericaback.org
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on August 14, 2009 at 11:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So with this latest cut in the school budget, the citizens can expect for the millage to be dropped because the assessed property values were increased?
Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on August 14, 2009 at 11:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
They only cut 2 unfilled positions. More jobs need to be cut, teachers need a raise and the tax payers need a break. Besides how do you call it a cut when these jobs weren't costing anything.
Posted by southernwoman (anonymous) on August 14, 2009 at 1:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Krogers make funny jokes.
Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on August 14, 2009 at 1:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This goes out to all those people out there making these budgets. If you want a new car but don't buy one that is not a cut or savings of $25,000. If you wanted 6 kids but only had 1 that is not a reduction of children/employees. If you dream of making millions but only make $30,000 you don't have millions. Creative bookkeeping has gotten us into this mess now they need to use real numbers to try and get us out of it.
Posted by 2008 (anonymous) on August 14, 2009 at 4 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes Mr. Rogers we our trying to get our country out of the hole it's in, and has been in for 8 1/2 years. The primary plank in the new GOP platform will probably be a focus on outlawing Fact-Checking.... nothing has hurt the GOP more than its lack of credibility by pushing emotion over facts, claiming that things weren't said that were and vice versa, trying to legislate morality while practicing hypocrisy, etc.... and having it all handed back to them a day or two later...
These people would like to see our tax money spent on wars and making corporations comfortable. They are adamantly against spending our tax dollars on our needs.... How can any of this be sustainable? How can the GOP be anything relevant when they are so far out of step with their extremism?
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on August 14, 2009 at 6:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't believe we are talking about the GOP here but budgets and taxes locally and nationally. When are you all going to realize we are all in this together and quit blaming one side or the other?
Posted by 2008 (anonymous) on August 14, 2009 at 9:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Maybe if the Natchez Democrat woud print/write or do more opinions on more relevant issues that are affecting all of us their would be forums for discussion freedom42.
However, I was reflecting on what krogers brought up....
As for cutting school budgets, why isn't there a line item cutting from the budget instead of jobs that were not presently filled. Maybe more thought should be put into examining how other school districts have approched the problem with similar populations as Natchez, and investigate additional avenues for cutting costs. Just a thought.
Posted by natashakubelikov (anonymous) on August 14, 2009 at 10:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Cut the ones out of school that don,t want to be there,they ain,t learning nothing anyway. That would lower the costs
Posted by musicman02 (anonymous) on August 14, 2009 at 11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Natasha, if they cut those, then we would have 8-15 children in a classroom. As along as the ADA is up then the schools get federal funding when it is down, the money from Uncle Sam dries up big time.
Posted by 2008 (anonymous) on August 15, 2009 at 10:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
natashakubelikov: If your suggestion was implemented then you would have not only have less funding for our schools as musicman reiterated, but who would be left in the classroom. Certainly ALL children need education, therefore giving them the opportunity to better themselves and our society. To start with punctuation, grammar and spelling are a great gift to give our children. Including spell check :)
Posted by trulyblessed (anonymous) on August 15, 2009 at 8:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Start with the superintendent's salary. Next get rid of the lady they hired for public relations. She was put on probation for a year as a teacher for fighting children and misconduct but given a promotion to make over $68,000 a year. How can you be written up, not recommended for rehire and given a position like that. It happens when you're buddies with the superintendent.
Posted by natashakubelikov (anonymous) on August 16, 2009 at 12:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What about the ones that don,t give a rip and never did or will.? There,s lots of them hangin out,just that,nothing more. If they want to learn give them what they need,but don,t reward them for doing nothing.
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