The Lincoln County School Board is planning to approve anoperating budget for the coming school year that is identical tolast year’s spending plan, holding off on lawmakers’ promise ofeven more education funding for fiscal year 2010 until such moneyis guaranteed.

Superintendent Terry Brister said the county district wouldstick to its pending $25.5 million budget for the 2009-10 schoolyear and “go conservative,” resisting budget amendments that wouldadd more funding unless absolutely necessary. He said the districtwill attempt to save as much money as possible during the comingyear to prepare for fiscal years 2011 and 2012, which manyfinancial foreseers predict will be financially tougher thancurrent conditions.

“This is enough,” Brister said of the $25.5 million budget.”We’re operating on the same amount we did last year. The job thisboard’s done as far as this budget is concerned has helped ustremendously. We’re fortunate enough to be where we are.”

District Business Manager Cheryl Shelby said she crafted thepreliminary budget using totals calculated after Gov. Haley Barbourcut the Mississippi Adequate Education Program – the state fundingformula through which school districts acquire the majority oftheir funding – earlier this year. She said the budget is alsobuilt to absorb low funding levels based on the worst-case scenariofor MAEP funding discussed this year in the Legislature.

“We put in a low-ball revenue estimate,” Shelby said.

Of the district’s $25.5 million in expected revenue, $13.9million is provided by the state, $3.4 million comes from localfunds and $108,000 comes from the federal government. MAEP provides$13.2 million of the budget’s state funding – almost 95percent.

The total expected revenue is $17.6 million. A further $7.8million is provided for special funds and programs through acombination of federal programs, interest and fund balances.

Of the $18.4 million in budget expenditures, $14.5 million -approximately 80 percent – will be spent on teacher salaries andbenefits.

“You don’t have a lot of percentage of your budget for anythingelse,” Shelby said. “Only about 20 percent of your budget you canreally control.”

Though the district’s planned expenditures exceed plannedrevenues by more than $700,000, Shelby said some expenditures -like16th Section forestry revenue – will not be spent if not collectedand exist as buffers in the budget.

Shelby budgeted for $2.5 million in 16th Section interest and$1.2 million in expenditures, but she said she’s not depending onthe revenue due to low timber prices.

Lincoln County Forester Howard Stogner said 16th Section landtimber would not be cut and sold until prices improve.

“We’re going to base the sales on what the minimum bid is,” hesaid. “If people don’t meet the minimum bid, we’ll reject it. Oncethe economy turns around, that timber will go up in price.”

Though budget totals remain the same, the placement of fundingfor the coming school year will differ in some places. Last year,Shelby budgeted $500,000 in the district’s fuel fund to pay forgasoline and diesel prices that exceeded $4 per gallon. With gaspriced much lower this year, she allocated approximately $300,000to the fuel fund in the pending budget.

“We didn’t spend near as much as we budgeted (last) year, soeven though we’re cutting it, I feel confident,” Shelby said.

The district will also continue to provide $250,000 for atextbook fund that purchases workbooks for studentsdistrict-wide.

“We’re trying to help the taxpayers a little bit,” Shelbysaid.