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Jackson board adopts amended fiscal‑year 2024–25 budget; district cites construction and capital timing for $48.6 million increase
Summary
The board approved a final amended budget for fiscal year 2024–25 that the administration said increases total appropriations by about $48.6 million — largely reflecting finalized construction accounting, limited tax notes and federal ESSER alignment — and highlighted underspending in some programs and steps to improve budget visibility.
The Jackson Public School District board approved a final amended budget for fiscal year 2024–25 that the administration said increases total appropriations by roughly $48.6 million, primarily to reflect finalized construction and capital project accounting.
Margaret Purnell, executive director of business services, presented the amendment and said the amended budgets are being incorporated into the district's submission to the Mississippi Department of Education. Purnell said the amendment reflects actual expenditures incurred during the fiscal period and is not new funding: "The increase is not due to, to new or additional funding, but rather the funds that were, available, but not have been clearly allocated, for budgetary purposes," she said.
Purnell told the board facilities, operations and construction increased by more than $40 million as a result of finalization of capital projects and alignment with limited tax notes and ESSER funds. She also cited an increase in non‑instructional services tied to the First Student contract of roughly $6 million. The administration said the timing of capital decisions and the late addition of the limited tax note to the '24 budget accounted for most of the difference.
Board member McGuffey and staff discussed underspending in discretionary programs. McGuffey noted almost $300,000 budgeted but not spent in athletics and roughly $150,000 in JROTC, urging program managers to spend budgeted funds because of their student impact. A staff speaker (identified in the record as Mr. Burke) said timing and staffing assumptions help explain under‑spending: positions hired later than July 1 or lower‑cost instructors can reduce outlays in a fiscal year even when budgets were set for a full year.
The administration described steps to improve budget visibility, including an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that will provide greater line of sight into spending and automated prompts to encourage timely expenditures.
A motion to adopt the amended budget was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote with no recorded nays. The presentation included multiple fund‑level figures and line‑item explanations in the administration's materials; the board did not receive an itemized rollup of every contract or capital project in the meeting record.
The administration said it will continue to provide context and more regular budget explanations to the board as ERP implementation improves financial oversight.
