It is expensive to run a school system. Very expensive. The financial requirements to provide the programs and a solid education needed for area students are almost mind-boggling. It takes not only good stewards throughout the entire system but also community support to keep up with the ever-growing financial demands.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that it costs a lot of money to pay salaries, buy school supplies, food, books, and classroom equipment, cover maintenance costs, cover athletic program expenses, and provide transportation to school and events. This doesn’t even include the day-to-day operating costs of electricity, gas, water, and sewage. You also have to consider the expenses required to participate in federal, state, and local programs, sales tax expenditures, insurance, and so on.
It requires great stewardship, as it takes not only great insight to decide what and when purchases or payouts need to be made, but also to determine which of the many funds set up are to be used so that the accounting of everything is done correctly.
The cost of “doing business” was never more evident than this past Monday, August 3rd, when the Jackson Parish School Board held its regularly scheduled monthly meeting at the Jackson Parish School District Central Office, located at 315 Pershing Hwy. in Jonesboro.
Over $150,000.00 was earmarked for payments by board members Mary Saulters (President), Gerry Mims, Rick Barlow, Paulette Belton, Wade McBride, and Dennis Clary as several required and ancillary programs received funding. Calvin Waggoner was absent.
And this comes during a summer month before school has even started.
Each month there is the standard payment of bills of the General Fund, Federal Programs, Food Service, Sales Tax, Special Education, and District Maintenance. A breakdown of the additional monetary outlay approved by the panel this month is as follows:
$11,000.00 – For support of the LSU Extension programs, to be paid from the General Fund.
$15,800.00 – To CEV Multimedia, LLC for annual licenses for all CTE courses at Jonesboro Hodge High School, Quitman High School, and Weston High School, to be paid from 26-27 Career Development
Funds.
$79,405.53 – To Electronic Information Systems, LLC for managing Medicaid billing services for years 2021 – 2025, to be paid from General Fund.
$40,000.00 – For the 2026-2027 MOU with the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office regarding the educational instructor for the Jackson Parish Juvenile Detention Center Alternative School
In additional business, the board approved the minutes of the July meetings, heard from Stephen Watts of the Jackson Parish Sheriff’s Office regarding School Resource Officers (SRO) staffing costs & r reimbursements, and recognized a public participation request from Windy Calahan. Superintendent Billy Carter was also given permission to sign the agreement by and between the Jackson Parish School Board and Electronic Information Systems and the job description for Special Education Compliance
Coordinator was approved.