Board Temporarily Approves Budgets for School of the Arts and School for the Deaf and Blind Pending Financial Reconciliation

The Mississippi State Board of Education on July 17 pulled budget items for the Mississippi School for the Arts and the Mississippi School for the Deaf and Blind from the consent agenda for additional discussion and approval with conditions.

Board member Bill Jacobs said the draft budgets did not reconcile with financial statements he reviewed: revenue and expense line items appeared inconsistent and the budgeted fund-balance figures differed from amounts reflected in financial reports. Jacobs asked the board to approve the budgets temporarily to avoid disrupting school startup, but directed staff to reconcile the financials and return corrected documentation at the August meeting.

Nut graf: The board approved the budgets with the understanding that MDE staff will work with the schools to reconcile revenue, expense and fund-balance figures and will present reconciled budgets at the next meeting so that the board and schools have consistent financial records going into the school year.

During discussion staff acknowledged clerical issues in prior fiscal-year reporting that contributed to the apparent discrepancies. A board member noted that some revenue lines included foundation funds and that food-service contracts (Sodexo) had increased, contributing to budget changes. The board approved the budgets with the condition that staff reconcile the numbers and bring them back in August.

Ending: Staff said they will reconcile revenue and expense lines and present reconciled budgets to the board in August; the board approved the budgets now to prevent operational disruption at the start of school.