Pearl River County School District Business Administrator T.J. Burleson presented a preliminary budget to the school board at Monday’s meeting.

Burleson said the district’s costs increased by $615,000 due to teacher pay raises and salary scale increases. In addition to salary increases, other costs had the school district starting the budget $1.2 million in the hole.

In order to accommodate the increased costs, the district cut several positions at all four schools, Burleson said.

The lower elementary eliminated two regular teaching positions, one gifted education teaching position and three teaching assistant positions, Burleson said.

The upper elementary eliminated two teaching assistant positions, two special education teaching positions and $30,000 from the textbook budget.

At the middle school, four regular teaching positions were eliminated, and at the high school three regular teaching positions and one special education teacher positions were eliminated, Burleson said.

Burleson said no teachers were laid off in the process of eliminating positions. The positions were eliminated through attrition and moving teachers within the district.

Along with elimination of positions, the bookkeeper and administrative assistant position at the district’s central office have been reduced to part-time positions, Burleson said.

While there have been reductions in staff, the school district will be adding several new services including daycare operations for three and four year olds through the early childhood education program at the alternative school, Burelson said.

There will also be two technology classes at the middle school and one technology class at the high school.

An instructional coach at the high school and a reading coach at the lower elementary are going to be provided through Title 1 funding.

In total, the school district’s budget will be $19.7 million.

The school board will hold at public hearing on the budget on June 30 at 6:30 p.m.