Video: State Budget Cuts Crunching LCSD

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — Recent Mississippi state budget cuts are forcing the Lowndes County School District to prepare for possible cuts in curriculum.

The board will debate on whether to cut the 7th and 8th grade gifted MERIT courses because the state does not provide funding. State standards are in place for the courses, but does not reimburse districts for teaching units.

The state does provide funding for MERIT courses from 2nd to 6th grade.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Robin Ballard said the reason behind the possible decision is that gifted teachers, “could have twelve students at a time, where a regular teacher could have up to 33 [students] in a class period.”

“When you’re looking at the number of students who could be served in a full day, its 45 students for a MERIT…teacher, and 150 for regular education.”

Ballard also said this isn’t the first time LCSD will debate whether to cut the courses, “and since that time, it has turned into an elective for those students.

“[The students] were getting out of their English instruction and we were seeing a decline in their English-Language Arts scores on the state test for that group of students…”

Ballard also said the decline in student application for MERIT programs, and that the total number for the entire district is around 60 students.

MERIT classes are designed to teach students lessons in areas like creativity, communication, and research, all of which Ballard said should be taught in every classroom anyways.

Ballard also said LCSD is among only a few local districts that still provide the courses. “A lot of school districts don’t even offer it in 7th or 8th grade…since it is not a funded position by the state than most districts opted out of it a long time ago.”

The school board will hold a public meeting Friday, May 12th, at 11 A.M.