By By Kelly Quackenbush/The Meridian Star
April 24, 2001
Up to nine Lauderdale County teaching jobs will not be filled as a result of state education budget cuts.
The county school district will have to cut $216,943 from the budget for the new school year.
The state Legislature estimated last year it could allocate $21,694,262 for Lauderdale County Schools if 2002 projections showed a 3.7 percent growth in the economy. The economy is not expected to grow this much, and Mississippi State Department of Education has cut budgets in response.
Little said there is a deficit of $205,000 and the school district is $50,000 over-budget for utility costs so far this year. He said these costs were unexpected.
Little said district officials had been trying to add teachers, offer more electives and reduce the student-teacher ratio. There will be 14 or 15 teaching openings at the beginning of the next school year, but district officials will only be able to fill three or four of them.
The budget adjustments will be announced by early September.
Kelly Quackenbush is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. Call her at 693-1551, ext. 3228 ore-mail her at kquackenbush@themeridianstar.com.