By Cathy Spaulding
Phoenix Staff Writer
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FORT GIBSON — The Fort Gibson school district is getting nearly 6 percent more funds from the state in mid-term adjustments.
A chart of mid-term allocations, released this week by the Oklahoma Department of Education, shows Fort Gibson receiving $3.49 million in state aid for 2013, up $195,729 from what the state was to give the district at the start of the 2013 school year.
Superintendent Derald Glover said the added money could help the district overcome financial hits from earlier in the school year. He said there was a $75,000 decrease in value from the OG&E power plant, which makes up most of the district’s total property value. The state also held back $87,000 from the district at the start of the school year, Glover said.
Glover hopes the increased state funding will enable the district to refill a few vacant positions, he said. Budget cuts have kept the district from filling at least 20 positions over the past three years.
Mid-term adjustments are based on current year enrollment and a district’s local financial support.
Muskogee’s allocation of $17.26 million was more than than what Muskogee Public Schools Chief Financial Officer John Little said he expected. Little said he had expected an increase of $250,000 in mid-term adjustment but wound up with an extra $304,456.
The anticipated increase in funding prompted the Muskogee school board to give Christmas bonuses of at least $200 to each school employee.
“All the bonuses came out to be $195,000,” Little said.
Other area schools that got at least 4 percent more in state funding include Hilldale, up 4.07 percent to $5.89 million; Oktaha, up 4.8 percent to $2.9 million; and Porter, up 6.3 percent to $1.8 million.
“More is always good,” Hilldale Superintendent Kaylin Coody said, adding that the increase was what school officials had expected.
The state reduced funding at 16 area schools.
Eufaula is due $4.14 million, a 1.75 percent cut from what was allocated at the start of the school year.
“That’s a couple of jobs — jobs or programs,” interim Eufaula Superintendent Jeanette Smith said.
The decrease is $73,828 from the start of the school year.
“Hopefully, through attrition we can absorb that,” Smith said. “We have several people retiring, several people leaving for other schools.”
Reach Cathy Spaulding at (918) 684-2928 or cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com.
School District FY 2013 FY 2013 Difference Percent
final allocation initial allocation difference
MUSKOGEE COUNTY
• Muskogee $17,262,822 $16,958,366 $304,456 1.80%
• Hilldale $5,898,107 $5,667,315 $230,792 4.07%
• Fort Gibson $3,491,097 $3,295,368 $195,729 5.94%
• Webbers Falls $1,057,666 $1,020,966 $36,700 3.59%
• Oktaha $2,938,338 $2,802,879 $135,459 4.83%
• Braggs $754,347 $769,181 $-14,834 -1.93%
• Warner $2,597,069 $2,580,370 $16,699 0.65%
• Porum $2,074,716 $2,081,627 $-6,911 -0.33%
• Wainwright $628,553 $632,547 $-3,994 -0.63%
• Haskell $3,000,197 $2,966,095 $34,102 1.15%
CHEROKEE COUNTY
• Norwood $776,127 $776,910 $-783 -0.10%
• Woodall $2,188,360 $2,197,066 $-8,706 -0.40%
• Shady Grove $784,545 $798,938 $-14,393 -1.80%
• Peggs $1,210,080 $1,202,463 $7,617 0.63%
• Grand View 2,126,109 $1,855,943 $270,166 14.56%
• Briggs $2,179,533 $2,215,551 $-36,018 -1.63%
• Tenkiller $1,550,992 $1,562,679 $-11,687 -0.75%
• Keys $2,765,136 $2,795,812 $-30,676 -1.10%
• Hulbert $2,081,168 $2,107,392 $-26,224 -1.24%
• Tahlequah $12,791,503 $12,935,314 $-143,811 -1.11%
• Cherokee
Immersion
Charter School $559,580 $458,342 $101,238 22.09%
McINTOSH COUNTY
• Eufaula $4,144,908 $4,218,736 $-73,828 -1.75%
• Checotah $5,196,307 $5,267,074 $-70,767 -1.34%
• Midway $823,878 $821,473 $2,405 0.29%
SEQUOYAH COUNTY
• Gore $1,735,839 $1,718,355 $17,484 1.02%
WAGONER COUNTY
• Okay $1,660,464 $1,668,223 $-7,759 -0.47%
• Wagoner $8,269,380 $8,344,861 $-75,481 -0.90%
• Porter $1,830,661 $1,721,209 $109,452 6.36%
Source: Oklahoma Department of Education
