Al Simmons, Superintendent of Schools, spoke to the Kiwanis Club on Tuesday, March 19. He spoke about several different things and answered questions but his main focus was the tax renewal election coming on April 27. 

There were 1700 students enrolled in Winn Parish Schools on October 1. This number is what the Minimum Foundation Program funds are based on. This is the money that comes from the state and there is a very specific formula that is used to calculate the per student amount that is received. In 2023, 48% of monies came from state sources while sales and property tax supplied 20% and federal monies made up 20%. State money can be used as seen fit by school system. 

Local money comes from sales and property taxes. Sales tax money is dedicated to salary and benefits for employees, instructional materials, supplies and fees. Payroll expenses are about 63% of the budget. So the question is how many people can the system afford to pay? Sales tax is an area of revenue that has grown. Property tax has decreased from $3 million to $2.3 million. A very large part of the parish is Kisatche National Forest and that land cannot be taxed. The federal government does give some money each year but it is not as much as if the land could be taxed.

In 2019 Winn Parish received $15.3 million MFP funds. In 2023 $14.7 million was received. Since this money is a per pupil amount, the fewer students enrolled in school, the less money received. 

All COVID money has to be spent by the end of September. “You spend the money (so you have to have the money), then send in your invoices and get reimbursed,” Simmons said. 

April 27 is Election Day for the renewal of maintenance tax for schools. It first passed in 1965 as a 5 mill tax. It is renewed every 10 years. In 1980 it was increased to 8 mills. Now it needs to move to 9 ¼ mills and that will still not keep up with inflation. It is very important that this tax be renewed, said the superintendent. 

Some expenses that have occurred lately are a steamer and steam table for one of the cafeterias at the cost of $70,000 and two 25-ton air/heating units at the cost of $68,000. The cost of a school bus is now $100,000 and they are not air-conditioned. 

Also on the ballot, the Dodson-Sikes Consolidated District 11 has 15 mills on the books that they want to maintain for future improvements at the Dodson school. 

Simmons pointed out that attendance zones, school board districts and taxing zones are different which sometimes makes things difficult.

At the Atlanta school they are moving useful items to other places. Teachers there were moved to other schools with vacancies if they wanted to go. The Atlanta Branch Library building is owned by the Winn Parish Library but the land is owned by the school so they are trying to work out a solution to that.

Simmons gave handouts on Public School Funding and Education Savings Accounts. The Education Savings Account is something that is coming up in the Legislative Session that may not be good for public schools. 

Kiwanis Club members thanked Superintendent of Schools Al Simmons for bringing all this information to their attention.