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NATCHEZ — Natchez Adams School District is not requesting an increase in ad valorem tax revenue for school operations, school officials said Wednesday.

NASD is in the process of planning their fiscal year 2021-2022 budget, for which they held a public hearing Wednesday in the board room at the Braden Administration Building.

The proposed budget for the 2021-2022 fiscal year should not call for a tax increase because the district will ask for slightly less in local tax revenue than the budget for the current year.

The school district is operating with a projected revenue for this year of $41,718,256, with 34.1 percent of that amount or $14,237,156 obtained through ad valorem taxes — which the community pays from a percentage of the appraised value of their homes, businesses and from renewing automobile tags.

NASD projects their revenue for the upcoming fiscal year will be $55,135,259. Of that amount, the proposed ad valorem tax levy is 25.3 percent or $13,955,634.

The ad valorem tax request from the school district will later be converted into millage when the Adams County Board of Supervisors sets their budget.

The school district asked for an increase in the amount of ad valorem tax revenue both in 2019 and in 2020.

This budget cycle comes as the district is building a new high school at the bean field property adjacent to Natchez High School. The current high school will also be refurbished to house middle school students. NASD has budgeted $29 million for the project.

At the start of next school year, district officials said high school students would be “shuffled around” to finished classrooms while construction is ongoing and middle school students would move to the high school campus when the work is finished.

The projected completion time for the new high school is in the spring of 2022.