DeSoto County Schools presents proposed FY2026 budget with $445 million in revenues and planned millage cut

Miss Hadley, a member of the district business department, presented the DeSoto County Schools proposed fiscal year 2026 budget during a budget hearing, outlining projected revenues of about $445,000,224 and a tentative 6.18‑mill reduction in the school millage rate.

"The budget is not just a collection of numbers, but an expression of our values and aspirations," Miss Hadley said, describing the document as a compilation of input from departments and principals. She told the board the district expects roughly $171,000,000 in local revenue (about 38.5 percent), $233,000,000 in state revenue (about 52.5 percent) and roughly $39,000,000 in federal funds (about 9 percent).

The presenter said total budgeted expenditures for FY2026 are approximately $502,988,494, an increase of roughly $22,000,000 over the prior year. She said the revenue increase compared with FY25 is “a little over $18,000,000.” The state funding piece is driven largely by the Mississippi student funding formula, which the presenter said accounts for about 95 percent of state revenue in the…