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Natchez-Adams School Board's coffers could be plumped
Published Friday, June 20, 2008
NATCHEZ — On Thursday afternoon the Natchez-Adams School Board met with Mississippi’s Secretary of State to hear a proposal that could ultimately bolster the district’s coffers.
Secretary Delbert Hosemann presented the board with a plan that, if implemented, should increase the dollar yield from lumber on the school’s 16th Section Public School Trust Land.
The land ordinance of 1785 essentially reserved a acreage in the development of each township for the maintenance of the township’s public schools.
That land is known as 16th Section land.
And 223 years later the school district is still deriving benefit from that land allotment.
The Natchez-Adams District, and most districts in the state, generate revenue from the land by selling timber harvested from their plots.
Leasing the land to hunters also generates a portion of the revenue the districts get from the land.
Hosemann told board members on Thursday his main objective is to increase the dollar value per harvestable acre of timber.
The district currently has a return rate of $14.27 per harvestable acre.
“We want to raise that rate of return,” Hosemann said.
And while Hosemann said he did not know how high the return’s rate would climb he was confident the rates would improve.
Hosemann’s plan essentially calls for the Mississippi Forestry Commission to do an analysis of the land that would ultimately increase the yield, in dollars, from harvested timber.
While working in conjunction with other counties Hosemann also said the county would be subject to receive lower service rates on the land once the secretary’s office begins working with the county.
“We need to run it like a business,” he said.
And the business Hosemann wants to help run is a profitable one.
Since 1997 the district has collected over $2 million in revenue from timber sales.
After Hosemann’s proposal board members had very few questions.
Board President Noris Edney said he was pleased with the proposal.
“It seems like a good plan,” he said. “And we still need to discuss the details.”
Hosemann said he will present the board with formal contract in August to be voted on.
Comments
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 20, 2008 at 12:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here we go again. In hope of unspecified gain an unelected board stands ready to vote to alter the management of local public lands and hand it over to state control, without even asking many questions.
What is the plan, Democrat? Do you care to let your readers in on it, or is it just between you, the state, and the school board?
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on June 20, 2008 at 12:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well we don't matter EnKiKur as long as we pay taxes and ask no questions..
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 20, 2008 at 12:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Yes, that's right fire. Just lower your head and repeat "Obedience is freedom, I will do as you say".
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on June 20, 2008 at 6:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"The district currently has a return rate of $14.27 per harvestable acre."
Okay, ND, what does this sentence mean? Does it mean total forest acreage less roads, right-of-ways, etc? Or does it mean the acreage under contract for timber harvest?
I suppose I could read between the lines for the rate of return of $14.27 and say that the school lands are growing about a half cord of wood per year.
Posted by hossfly (anonymous) on June 20, 2008 at 8:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It means that if they get more money they can get a new truck and some new lawn mowers!!!
Posted by anonymouscoward (anonymous) on June 20, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here's the deal: when the state of mississippi was established and surveyed, 1/16 of the land was dedicated to the public schools. That means that 1/16 of all of the land in mississippi belongs to the public schools. That means in Adams County, which has 460 square miles of land, 28 3/4 square miles of that belongs to the schools. Unfortunately, most of that land has been terribly mismanaged. Most of it is tied up in 99 year leases to friends and family of past school boards for $1 a year. Similar hunting leases exist as well as timber and mineral leases.
The purpose of the land was to fund the schools without resorting to taxes.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 20, 2008 at 10:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here's the deal too. Two wrongs don't make a right. Consolidation of funding means consolidation of control. There is Top of the Morning in the paper with Hank Bounds talking about "redesigning" schools for the 21st Century and moving the last vestiges of school control away from local citizens.
This is no doubt part of that redesign and consolidation of control.
The Democrat is sorely remiss in not publishing any details of this new plan, and in not publishing any details about the 465,000 dollar study of Natchez-Adams schools that was done last year, or what the findings and recommendations of that study were.
Posted by Lilsister (anonymous) on June 20, 2008 at 7:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The best thing that the citizens of Natchez can do is to ask the three older members of the board to step down. (older means those with the most seniority.) It is abvious they have not been good stewards of our money,nor have they made good choices for our system.
Posted by EnKiKur (anonymous) on June 21, 2008 at 3:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I wonder if the plan is to consolidate all the 16th section lands and sell carbon credits on them. That sounds like the kind of screwball scheme the Dept. of Education would come up with.
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