Rankin County School District budget request said to exceed state cap
RANKIN COUNTY — The Rankin County Board of Supervisors was told at its Aug. 3 meeting that the Rankin County School District's request for local tax funding exceeds the increase allowed under state law without voter approval. The county board attorney told supervisors the district's aggregate receipts request reflects an increase of more than 10 percent over the current year, far above the 7 percent annual cap set by Mississippi law.
"They cannot increase their aggregate receipts request to you, the funding request, by more than 7% annually," the attorney said, according to the meeting recording. "I've already told you that these numbers reflect an aggregate receipts request that exceeds 10%. So, they are clearly, without further explanation, they are clearly beyond what they can legally request."
The attorney's remarks came during the board's Aug. 3 session as supervisors reviewed the district's budget submission for the coming fiscal year. The recording did not include further detail from supervisors on the request's exact dollar figures or on what steps the board planned to take in response.
Under Mississippi Code Section 37-57-107, a school district seeking a local funding increase above 7 percent must first put the additional amount to a public referendum. The board attorney's assessment, if it holds up once the district's full budget filing is reviewed, would place Rankin County among districts asking local taxpayers to absorb a funding increase beyond what state law normally allows without a public vote. Such gaps between state-mandated spending pressures, including teacher pay raises set by the Legislature, and the local tax dollars needed to cover them, have been a recurring point of scrutiny for school district budgets statewide.