County school district board to discuss budget

From our school board.jpg [1]

By COLLEEN MCCARTHY
sdnreporter@yahoo.com [2]

The Board of Directors of Oktibbeha County School District will hold a regularly scheduled meeting on Monday at 6 p.m. at the Superintendent’s Office on Louisville Street in Starkville.
According to the agenda, the board will be hearing from Anissa Young, of the Mississippi School Boards Association.
The board plans to review statements on the budget status and fund balances and also hear a legislative update.
The board will also confirm several dates, including the last days for 10- and 11-month employees as well as when 12-month employees must return.
In a previous meeting, the board discussed ways to improve energy usage and cut utility costs in the schools. Changes were made to the settings on the classroom thermostats to stagger the times they turned on.
When all the air conditioners turned on at the same time throughout the schools, the simultaneous demand for energy meant a high utility bill for the district. Now, some activate at 5 a.m. and others come on at 6 a.m., which will hopefully help with energy costs.
Superintendent James Covington also recommended the possibility of purchasing four new buses, one for each campus. The board has yet to act on the recommendation.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for July 11.