The Simpson County School District has taken legal action against the Simpson County Board of Supervisors. The following statement was released by Superintendent Dr. Paul Lawrence in regards to the litigation:
The Simpson County School District only wants what is best for our school children. Funding for our schools comes largely through property taxes at a rate set by our County Board of Supervisors. That process is clearly set out in Mississippi law. Each year, the school district is legally entitled to submit a request for funding from the Board of Supervisors. Unless the amount exceeds four percent over the previous year, the request must be granted by the Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors has voted not to fully fund the District’s budget request for FY 2024-2025 as required by law. In order to protect the interests of our school children, the District has been forced to initiate legal action requiring the Board of Supervisors to follow the law. Unfortunately, the legal costs to recover these funds will be an unnecessary expense to the taxpayers of Simpson County. Our schools already operate on a bare-bones budget making our mission tougher than ever. Without enough funding, our public schools will not be able to educate our future workforce targeted at attracting good jobs and industry to our County. Inadequate funding for our schools negatively affects all of us, whether you now have children in the county schools. This is not a wasteful or extravagant request. It is not focused on the consolidation of our high schools but rather replacing Mendenhall Junior High and dealing with inflation in fuel, wages, buses and facility repairs. We appeal to the citizens of the County to support our schools. Please contact your Supervisor and stress the importance of following Mississippi law and adequately funding our schools and avoiding these wasteful legal expenses. ######
Dr. Paul Lawrence Superintendent Simpson County School District
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