Forrest County School District: No tax increase

The Forrest County School District will not require a tax increase to balance its budget for the 2014-15 budget year, which begins July 1.

The Forrest County School Board held its budget hearing Monday.

"The big key is the ad valorem request will be the same," business manager Ann Mitcham said. "There will be no tax increase."

The millage will remain at 55 mills, which is the millage cap.

The district's proposed budget is $25.2 million, down slightly from last year's budget of $25.6 million.

The district has 2,350 students and 430 employees.

Superintendent Brian Freeman said he was happy with the budget outlook, which included an increase in state funding of about $378,000.

"We think it's a pretty stable budget," he said.

Freeman did say one new expense for the district next year would be raises for its 220 non-certified employees.

He said it was only fair those workers get raises, now that the state is paying for raises for teachers.

"That's something the district is committed to doing," he said. "It was time to do something for them, and we thought we could afford it. We need to keep quality people."

Freeman said the district would have to dip into its reserve fund "a little" to help finance those raises.

The increases are expected to cost the district approximately $300,000.

School board members still have to vote to approve the budget, which they will do at an upcoming meeting.