VIDEO: School Budget Cuts: Figuring Out What to do with Less

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – State and federal budget cuts are hitting school districts across the state, including the Columbus Municipal School District.

Now, schools are going through budgets trying to figure out what to do with less money.

Superintendent Dr. Philip Hickman, his staff, and the budget committee will decide what measures to take to make up for the cuts.

This morning, the school board talked about some of those at the budget review meeting.

It’s an annual exercise to figure out how to do more with less and this year, it may be more difficult than ever.

“We’re taking a hit. I mean, two million in anyone’s budget, that’s a lot and it’s a lot of personnel. It’s a lot of things that we have to eliminate that we would have been able to provide better services for our students,” says Superintendent Dr. Philip Hickman.

The Columbus Municipal School District is looking at ways to make up what could amount to a six to eight percent difference in this year’s budget compared to last year’s.

“Even with the adjustments and everything, our budget should still somewhere be close to $30 million dollars total and everything and of course, we just have to look at even with the cuts and everything because we were north of $30 plus million, but even with the cuts and reductions and revenues, we still have to, you know, make it work because our operations are around that level per year,” says Spears.

Superintendent Dr. Hickman says this year, it’s likely people rather than programs that will have to go.

“Our nurses may have to. Somewhere, we have to cut our curriculum coordinators down a few and just kind of those people. We had cut a central office position, our instructional technology person, we had to eliminate that position.”

School board president Jason Spears doesn’t believe the district will be forced to cut teachers.

“Try not to impact the education instruction personnel, but any of the other types of things, we have to work to make cuts on, as far as reducing our cost outlay, whether it be maintenance, whether it be, you know grounds, whether it be busing, you know, whatever it is, we’ve got to find some way to do that.”

The budget should be finalized sometime in July.

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