Princeton School Board briefs: meeting June 18

The Princeton School Board conducted the following business during its meeting on Tuesday, June 18. Written by Chloe Smith.

Student showcase

The Princeton School Board recognized students on the Princeton Track and Field team who attended the state tournament this season during its Spring Commendations with a certificate. The school board also recognized students on the district’s trap shooting team for attending the state tournament.

Superintendent report

Superintendent Ben Barton provided the Princeton School Board with an update on activities within the district since the last board meeting. Barton shared with the board that the district’s summer programs are at an all time high this year with a record number of participants. Barton also shared that he has been in discussions with the nursing staff in relation to possibly developing a virtual clinic for families within the district that may need it, and it is currently in the early stages of discussions. Barton has also been working behind the scenes to help develop some videos and other programs to help with the district’s climate and culture goals. The goal of the videos is to help bridge the perception gap between students and teachers. Lastly, Barton said the district has been continuing to plan on expanding its online programming.

Activity fee increase discussion

The Princeton School Board began discussions related to increasing activity fees within the district. The board compared the district’s current fees, specifically those at the high school level, to other schools in the Mississippi 8 and shared that Princeton charges the least. The cause for the increases would be to combat inflation, and to balance out revenue and expenditures for the district’s activity costs. The activities committee is also recommending that the board increase all high school activity fees by $25. The board also opened a discussion about removing the reduced fees for multiple sports. For example, the high school currently allows students who participate in multiple sports to pay a reduced fee for their second and third sports. In removing the reduced fees for multiple sports, the students would be required to pay the full activity fee for each sport until the family fee cap is reached for the year. The school board did not vote to approve or deny the increased activity fees; this was a discussion only.

Budget

The Princeton School Board reviewed and approved the final budget for the 2024-2025 school year. Since the board’s last budget review, there were only a few changes of note. One change was to the district’s unassigned budget, which was updated to reflect salary changes, activity costs, and other minor updates. In total, the unassigned budget saw a reduction of approximately $510,000 since the last budget update. The only other change of note was to the general fund budget. This budget is where the district was expecting to see a shortfall of approximately $1.7 million. According to the district’s business manager, Michelle Czech, the shortfall has increased by $100,000 since the last budget update due to further finalization of numbers. Czech said that this number was about where she expected it would be, and that the district would have enough funds to cover the shortfall this school year, but next year they will not. Following the budget review, the board approved the budget.

Filing affidavits of candidacy

The Princeton School Board approved a resolution establishing the dates for filing affidavits of candidacy for the school board seats up for election this November. The filings will begin on Thursday, July 30, and conclude on Tuesday, Aug. 13. The general election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. There are four seats up for election on the Princeton School Board. Those seats are currently occupied by Sue VanHooser, Chad Young, Dawn Bourdeaux, and Eric Strandberg.

Bids for the high school parking lot

The Princeton School Board approved a bid for the completion of the high school parking lot, a project that began the summer of 2023. This portion of the project is for the second half of the parking lot near the Performing Arts Center. The bid was awarded to the lowest bidder, ACI Asphalt & Concrete at $209,790.

Land purchase agreement

The Princeton School Board approved a tentative land purchase agreement for the property it currently owns behind the Princeton Primary and Intermediate Schools. Workhouse Land Development hopes to purchase the land to construct residential living spaces. The board approved the purchase agreement contingent upon the final approval of sale and the approval of an easement.