The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1963-03-14
Faee Eight =. The Lexington IMa) Advertiser Thursday March a. 1863
Thompson Reports On Schools. !.
Superintendent
Cites Progress
And Expansion

Lively WliltC SiiiAO ~ AAOA
mes County attends an ac-
credited school, and this is
something we can all be
proud Of" said L. R. Thomp-
son. superintendent of edu-
cation, in an address before
Durant Rotary Club March
9Th. The county's schools sys-
tenn represents about $780,
coo expenditure each year
of state and county tax
monies.
A highly interesting n d
informative report on the
expansion and progress OF
Holmes County's schools was
given by the Holmes County
Superintendent.
Prior to 1857 there were
sixteen white consolidated
schools plus two additional
separate school districts at
Durant and Lexington, MIR,
Thompson pointed out.
Today there is only o e
school district in the entire
county and it is governed by
a five-member elective board
of education with each super
yisor's district having a
member.
"The cost of operating the
schools has increased, but
taxes for their support have
not been increased in the
county," he reported.
Taxpayers of Holm e S
County today pay % mills
in taxes and eight-tenths of
one mill for school bonds, he
said, which is about the
same taxes as paid in 1857.
The 22-mill levy consists of
a 10-mill countrywide levy
for the minimum program
and a 12-mill countrywide
maintenance levy.
State law provides for a
maximum of a 25-mill levy
for school operation and
maintenance, he pointed out,
and with a special election
the tax can go as high as %
mills, if desired. Holmes
County's -22=mill levy is a.
bout average for the state,
he said, about midway be-
tween the highest and the
lower groups.
A total of $685. 900 or more
is spent by the Holmes
County schools each year for
the minimum program which
$875, 900 comes from state
funds and some 100000
from, the county, or about
eleven per cent.
In the minimum program
teacher salaries account for
the largest. share of the ex-
penditures with $688, 900 and
second high is $133,000 for
transportation. An addition
al SAC, 900 is set aside as the
employers share for the
teachers in social security
taxes.
Other expenditures in the
school budget include $50, 900
for local administrative costs
of the several local schools
and $4,000 for county ad-
ministrative costs. Other mis-
cellaneous items account for
$54, 900 in the budget.
Personnel Noted
Teacher personnel in the
county consists of IS white
teachers and 1875 Negro
teachers, Mr.. Thompson said.
Minimum standards set by
the state require a teacher
for each 80 pupils, a cost
factor.
There are 1000 white stu
dents and about 5000 Ne
gro students, he continued,
and about IS buses are used
to transport both white and
Negro students to schools =
about 800 white and 1000
colored each day.
Bus equipment must be
purchased out of the trans
portation money as well as
operated and mdlntd1neQ.
we pay about 81 cents
for gas, get a considerable
discount on tires and sup
plies and operate the county
garage to maintain the bus
ses. If we did not do this we
could not keep the program
up" he maintained.
Mr.. Thompson praised the
"home town" teachers of
Holmes County as being the
backbone of the system"
and said that if it were not
for them that Holmes Coun-
ty could not compete on the
open market with other dis
tricts in the state, industry