Southland board discusses local tax revenues

CARDWELL -- Another school board meeting, another night to discuss local school taxes.

Southland school district's superintendent, Raymond Lasley, informed the board that at some point the school district would be forced to increase the school tax, but this was not the time.

"Last year, we raised the tax 12 cents, but we're going to have approximately $179,000 less than last year's budget," said Lasley, "Most of the cuts have been absorbed in cuts of teachers and other areas, but some day in the near future Southland will have to have a tax increase."

Southland's operating levy is $3.07 per $100 assessed valuation. The tax payers of the district voted to allow that amount to be raised by the board without a vote to $3.10, but Lasley said he did not think it would help that much this year and did not want to rush the tax payers to another tax increase.

"I think that if we wait, it will be better on everyone," Lasley said, "The extra three cents will generate approximately $13,000, but as much as I need that money, I think that it would be just as well to leave it alone right now."

The superintendent, however, told the board that bad times were yet to come.

"We've cut as much as we can right now with the over $300 million budget cut by the state," said Lasley, "And DESE is predicting that in 2005, that loss will be at an estimated $922 million. I don't know how we will get through it."

The board took Lasley's recommendation and left the tax at $3.07.

The board went into executive session for a little over an hour to discuss a problem set forth by a parent, Johnny Zollman.

Another item that Lasley brought before the board was applying for a GED program.

The option of a GED program modeled after the current Pemiscot County GED program, Lasley said, would give the school another option for its students and was a way to eliminate the drop-out rate, if properly used. The program would have an age limit beginning at 17-year-olds and ending at 21-year-olds. After the age of 21, area dropouts could pay to enter the program.

At the high school level, the program would allow an individual to take classes before dropping out in order to catch up with their work or improve their attendance, while at the same time receiving the same high school diploma as the students that attend the regular high school classes, just as the D.R.E.A.M.E.R.S. Program in Kennett. The board voted to allow Lasley to apply for the program.

Lasley announced that he would be attending a meeting with Governor Bob Holden on Friday, August 15 in Kennett to discuss the budget situation. That meeting will be from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.

Also announced was a community health fair sponsored by Southland schools and Arkansas Methodist Hospital of Paragould which would take place on Tuesday, August 26, from 2 to 5 p.m. Blood pressure screenings and other health related screenings and tests would be available to the community as a community service provided by Arkansas Methodist Hospital of Paragould.