The Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District is cutting in roughly half how much additional money it expects to seek from local taxpayers this coming school year.
At a public meeting Tuesday to discuss the proposed budget, Kelia Washington, chief of finance, said the district will be asking for a total of about $11.6 million in local funding, down from the nearly $11.9 million initially proposed.
Washington said that the district lowered the amount in response to a request by “county representatives.”
The increase would be between 2% and 3%, depending on the final figures.
The proposed budget, including all sources of funding, totals about $61.4 million, which is 20% more than the past year’s budget of $51 million. The sizable spending jump, despite a projected $780,000 decrease in state funding, is because of a carryover of unspent federal funds as well as $3.4 million in coronavirus relief funding coming from Washington, D.C.
In addition, the school district learned last week that it will be receiving $1.2 million in grant money for distance learning.
The district plans to start the school year with all students receiving instruction virtually, with hopes to begin at least some in-person instruction Sept. 8.
Tuesday’s meeting was held to receive public feedback on the proposed budget. All of the questions to school officials were sent in advance.
One question read: “With no schools open since March and no definite date set, there’s been little electricity, gas or water usage. No janitorial services, no cafeteria services, no school buses running, gasoline, maintenance, etc., plus fewer students, so why do you need a $600,000 tax increase for 2020-2021?”
Washington responded that schools did not permanently close and that employees were still working. “Although students were not present, the district is still responsible for paying bills,” she said.
She also emphasized that the school district’s proposed increase has since been reduced below the published figure of $610,000.
Another question asked why the district needed additional local funding when its enrollment was declining. Washington said earlier during the meeting that she expects the district to lose 120 students this school year because of the opening of a charter school, Leflore Legacy Academy.
“A tax increase has nothing to do with student count,” Washington responded. “It deals with the actual expenses for the district.”
She provided a comparison of the current school tax rates for the Greenwood Leflore district and those in seven neighboring counties. At 44.12 mills, the Greenwood Leflore district was ranked No. 4 on the chart, with Holmes County the highest at 54.71 mills and Carroll County the lowest at 33.98.
Last year, when the Greenwood and Leflore County school districts merged, the tax rate was equalized countywide. That resulted in a 19.8% reduction in the tax rate for property in Greenwood but a 22.6% increase outside of the city.
After Washington spoke, George Whitten Jr., the lone community member at the meeting that was also livestreamed, said he disagreed with any tax increase for the 2020-2021 school year due to the strain COVID-19 has caused the community.
• Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. Twitter: @AdamBakst_GWCW
