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NATCHEZ — Natchez-Adams School District School Board President Amos James visited the Natchez Mayor and Board of Aldermen Tuesday night to thank them for supporting the school district.

James also told the aldermen that the district will operate with a $2.8 million budget deficit for the coming school year.

“We are going to have to find some money to replace that someplace, but we are going to continue to educate these kids,” James said.

He said some of the district’s preschool, Head Start, and kindergarten programs are in jeopardy. James also said that for several years, all NASD students have received free lunches at the school. However, that could change during the coming 2025-2026 school year.

“Mr. James was referencing the halt of late liquidation of ESSER funds, which was provided to government organizations and school districts to mitigate the spread of COVID and to address student learning loss,” said Zandra McDonald, NASD superintendent.

ESSER is the federal government’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. McDonald said approximately 60 school districts in Mississippi were provided with ESSER funds.

“They were given this pile of money and allowed to use it to address student learning loss, approved construction and renovation of school, professional development of teachers, after-school programs,” she said. “However, we received notice in March that those funds were not accessible to us. We have already expended those funds with the understanding that we would be reimbursed. But reimbursement has been halted. We have already expended those funds. Lots of agencies around the state were counting on that money.”

McDonald said the district is currently working under the guidance of the Mississippi Department of Education to reapply for those funds. The outcome of that effort is uncertain.

“We are going to put students first,” McDonald said. “However, we have to navigate rising costs. We are navigating decreased student enrollment. So, as a district, we are making certain that we are working to realign roles and responsibilities of employees in the district. We are leveraging natural attrition. We are not filling the positions of employees who leave. We are reassigning those responsibilities to other employees and re-examining all non-essential expenses.”

McDonald said that the free student lunch program will no longer be available to all students in the district because of a recent state assessment of the Natchez community’s demographics.

She said that the assessment showed increased incomes in the district, and students’ parents will have to submit applications to determine if they qualify for free or reduced lunches for the 25-26 school year.

“Those lunch applications will be part of the registration process for students,” McDonald said.