In planning for its upcoming budget, the Yazoo City Municipal School District will not be requesting an increase in ad valorem taxes from the city of Yazoo City.
Over the past several years, the district has regularly requested an increase in ad valorem taxes from the city. But through the efforts of Superintendent Dr. Darron Edwards and his staff, the district’s budget has been significantly trimmed.
“For the 2017-2018 school year our request is $89,000 less,” said Letitia Johnson, the district’s director of business affairs. “We are not asking for an increase in ad valorem.”
Only one citizen was present during the school district’s proposed budget hearing Tuesday afternoon. But the school board of trustees was pleased with the district’s new figures.
The budget goals of the school district include promoting long-term financial stability, operating within state and federal guidelines and maintaining a 21 percent fund balance.
For the next fiscal year, the district’s proposed budget will have a projected revenue of $13,410,083. The district’s allocation of state funds will also be cut by almost $63,000.
There are also a number of projects in the upcoming fiscal year that come with a hefty price tag. But Edwards said they are expenditures necessary to improve both instruction and infrastructure within the district.
At McCoy Elementary School, about $73,000 will be spent on purchasing new portable buildings. Each school will also receive $5,000 in library enhancements. A total of $155,000 will also be used for new textbooks, district-wide.
Edwards said there will also be more technological improvements within the district.
“We will be doing even more,” he said. “A year ago, we didn’t have Wi-Fi service throughout our schools. But we will be leasing computers to allow students to have access to more computers.”
Johnson said the district continues to encounter challenges. But the district continues to explore ways to be more efficient.
“We continuously try to find ways to maintain the district’s facilities to ensure that the learning environment remains safe and orderly for the students of the district,” Johnson said. “It is our responsibility, as a district and as citizens of Yazoo City, to make sure our children receive the best education possible in the best environment possible.”
Johnson also added that the district will end with a fund balance of $5.8 million dollars as of June 30, 2018.
