K-12 Budget Cuts Hit Leake County Schools Hard

Districts around the state have increased class sizes, frozen positions and combined bus routes to save money.

From Bay Saint Louis to Olive Branch school districts across the state are struggling to make ends meet. MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports how one small district is dealing with a 5% budget cut.

As the students at Carthage Elementary School begin to board the bus home their principal, Elizabeth Jenkins says the latest round of education budget cuts will be devastating.

"Especially to a small school system like ours. And when budget cuts are made, they are made at every level and at every department. And simple things like soft wear for the computers that we need to help children. And I have teachers coming to me daily says but I need this, and right now I have to tell them, we can't buy anything."

When school districts developed their budgets for this school year they were asked to reserve some of the funds in anticipation of a budget cut.

"But it's much worse than what we thought."

That's Leake County School Superintendent, Monte Ladner he says even with stimulus funds the district is struggling.

"With salary steps increasing for teachers and other things that made your budget just naturally inflate, and looking at fuel costs for buses and so forth. And then this budget flow, and supposedly getting all this ARA funds which we haven't seen a penny of it yet to help our district, that's our situation. It's putting extra pain on us to try to meet ends."

In the end Nancy Loome, Executive director of the Parents Campaign is concerned for the future of Mississippi's children.

"You just can't cut budgets in a state that already funds education at a level that is about the worst in the nation, the lowest per pupil cost in the nation and not expect it to have some impact on the quality of education we provide our children."

Districts around the state have increased class sizes, frozen positions and combined bus routes to save money. For MPB News, I'm Lawayne Childrey.