NATCHEZ &045; This time around, the news is good.

The Natchez-Adams School Board will have a public hearing on July 11 to discuss the upcoming fiscal year’s budget, but they definitely won’t be asking the county for a millage amount that would require a tax increase.

School Board President Norris Edney said an extensive number crunching effort combined with the reorganization of which grades go to which schools made everything work without more tax money.

&uot;It’s by far the best effort we’ve made,&uot; Edney said. &uot;We’ve just been working hard on it ever since last year’s situation of seeing what you have to do and not liking it.&uot;

Last year, the board passed a 6.36 mill ad valorem tax increase to meet its proposed budget. District officials and board members said last year’s increase was necessary to make up for a loss in local ad valorem taxes caused by several plant closures and less than expected money from the state.

Director of Business and Finance Margaret Parson said the district was still under funded by just over $700,000 from the state this year.

&uot;The budget doesn’t look as good as it could,&uot; she said. &uot;That money would have helped. We are still that much under funded.&uot;

But by aligning the grade levels and sending all students in one grade to the same school, the district cut back on the needed personnel. The reorganization didn’t lead to any layoffs, but teachers who retired or left were not replaced.

Starting in August all pre-kindergarten through kindergarten students will go to West Primary, first- and second-graders will go to Frazier Primary, third- and fourth-graders will go to McLaurin Elementary and fifth- and sixth-graders will go to Morgantown Elementary. Robert Lewis Middle School will continue to house seventh- and eighth-grades and the high school will remain the same.

By law, the board is required to hold a public hearing before passing their final budget. The hearing is scheduled for July 11 at 4 p.m. in the board meeting room in Braden. Parson said she expected a budget to be passed at the regularly scheduled board meeting on July 14. Any mileage requests have to be to the county by Aug. 15.