The Brookhaven School District was finally able to approve the2009-2010 budget after state legislators drew out funding debatesthrough the summer.

Superintendent Lea Barrett said the budget that was approved wasthe one that was slated and discussed at the public hearing in Junewith only minor tweaks.

“We’re elated we have a budget and we’re pleased it came in ashigh as it did,” she said. “About $900,000 is direct result of thestimulus money. Without it we’d be close to million dollars belowbudget.”

The district’s $27.7 million budget for fiscal year 2010contains a spending increase of $200,000 over the fiscal year 2009budget. Barrett said the coming year’s budget is based on lastyear’s figures, but the increase in expenditures accounts for stepincreases in pay for experienced teachers, an increase inretirement contribution and increases to minimum wage.

The original budget was crafted conservatively because schooldistrict officials had no way of knowing for sure if theMississippi Adequate Education Program would be fully funded ornot.

“Because of the federal stimulus money we received in Title One,we were able to add a technology facilitator that wasn’t originallyin the budget,” she said. “The initial budget on MAEP and localdollars remained the same.”

One program that will see some improvement thanks to federalstimulus dollars is the district’s special education program,Barrett said, which received around $700,000 through theIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act. Two new buses for theprogram will be bought with the money, as well as technology forthe classrooms.

Meanwhile, Mississippi School of the Arts Interim Director CarolAlderman appeared before the board to update members on enrollmentfor the fall term, saying the school, which will enroll 143students this year, now has a population that is 70 percentfemale.

“If the guys across the state knew that, we’d probably have moremale applicants,” she said with a laugh.

Alderman said only 15 percent of the students enrolled at MSAcome from north of a line from Vicksburg to Meridian. She said,however, that that is not unusual, as Mississippi School for Mathand Science, located in Columbus, has always had more enrolleesfrom the northern half of the state.

Meanwhile, Alderman also told the board that the graduatingclass of 2009 was offered $3.2 million dollars in scholarships.

“That exceeds the school’s overall budget of just around $3.1million,” she said. “So nobody can say there’s no return on theinvestment.”

After an executive session dealing with a student matter andpersonnel issues, Barrett said the board came out and voted tochange the sick day structure for district employees. In the past,every employee has had a designated number of sick days, and oncethey are gone, they have another 10 days during which they aredocked a flat rate from their pay.

In the past that flat rate was about $44 per day, Barrett said.The board voted to bring it up to about $64 per day. After thatgrace period, employees are docked full pay for days missed.

“It shouldn’t impact many people because very few peopleactually use up all their sick days,” Barrett said. “And we basedit on the fact that teacher pay raises have happened several timessince the last time we changed the flat rate.”

Barrett also told the board that the school administrators beginmeetings and planning this week in preparation for next Thursday’sschool year beginning. New teacher orientation begins Friday, shesaid, and Mayor Les Bumgarner will speak at a faculty meeting at8:30 a.m. Monday.

Otherwise, the board approved the transfer out of one studentwhose parent is an administrator in another school district, notingthat they are held to uphold that by law. Sixty-eight studentstransferred into the Brookhaven School District for the 2009-10school year, however, Barrett said.