Police officers were called to the Shaw High School cafeteria Thursday night to help keep order at the special call budget meeting of the Shaw School Board.

Although the proposed budget was approved, citizens made it clear they were not happy with the budget, the board and the proposed .66 increase in millage rate.

“A question was asked of you about your efforts to raise taxes,” said resident Gregory Flippins. “People were upset about that part. I don’t recall how you answered that question.”

“The question asked was (whether or not) the board was going to raise taxes,” responded Superintendent Dr. Cederick Ellis. “My response was that taxes would be increased by .66 mills.”

Flippins said that what citizens want to know is why taxes are going to be raised.

“Do they (the board) understand what you’re doing,” asked Flippins. “Do they understand that you’re raising taxes on the back of the citizens once again, as you did last year.”

Flippins continued to address the board.

“(I have) one other question pertaining to the $150,000 you said you had that you were going to save,” Flippins said to Ellis. “This was the statement that you made at the budget hearing in March, down in Greenville. What happened to that money?”

Ellis said that if he remembered correctly, he made a statement at the March budget meeting that the district would have $150,000 left over if the trustees had budgeted for the cuts which the state made during last year.

“When we were in Greenville, that $150,000 we talked about — I think that what we said — and I don’t remember everything,” Ellis began to explain but was cut off by Flippins.

“I have it video recorded if you need to see it again,” Flippins interjected from the audience. “All these board members were present and I’m pretty sure they recall the statement. It was almost a bragadocious approach to the fact you had money — actually, that you had more than $150,000 available.

“You indicated you would be spending down to that amount and the money would be used for the fund balance as it relates to this fiscal year,” continued Flippins. “Now you say there is a zero fund balance.”

Flippins related this $150,000 back to the .66 millage rate increase for which the board is asking.

“You raised the mobile home taxes, the property taxes for last year and now you’re proposing to raise them again and you can’t state what you did with the $150,000,” he called out.

The district’s Business Manager Ross Saddler stepped up to address the matter of money.

“Right now we estimate a fund balance of about $207,000 as of July 1, 2010,” said Saddler. “We are working on closing out the previous fiscal year and we are making some adjustments to this number.”

Saddler also noted that the school board does not have the authority to raise or to lower taxes. They only have the power to ask the Bolivar County Board of Supervisors for the millage rate increase.

The meeting broke out into shouting. Citizens kept trying to question the board, who stayed quiet on anything asked.

“For you to be a president you’re very immature,” one member of the audience yelled out to Otha Gray, who had been trying to silence Flippins. “I don’t know how you became president of a board when you won’t even accept the questions from the parents and citizens of Shaw.

“If you’re going to be a president, you need to act like a president,” the citizen continued. “A president conducts himself. You should answer our questions.”

The crowd again broke out into shouting and the meeting was paused while the board waited on police officers to arrive.

When the meeting resumed, citizens were still actively seeking answers from the board. The school board and other district officials tried to explain the reasoning behind some of the budget decisions, including the tax increase.

“The amount that we are requesting this year is actually $22,000 less than we requested last year,” said Saddler. “That’s the bottom line. We requested $1,041,000 last year and we are requesting $1,022,000 this year.”

“We’re asking that you do not request it because we do not see justifiable reasons from last year,” called out another concerned citizen. “Our kids don’t have books.

“All we ask is with this budget report that you all gave us (at last week’s public hearing) is to review the budget and take into consideration not raising taxes, giving our kids textbooks — and I mean every student (getting a) textbook — and (fixing) doors and locks,” she continued. “That’s all we ask but it’s like you guys don’t want to hear from the parents, like we don’t have a voice.”

“We can’t see improvements, why should our taxes be raised,” she asked board members. “You all don’t pay taxes here but you’re getting pretty high salaries. This community is hurting.”

Gray called for a motion to approve the budget. When he received a motion and a second, he called for a vote.

The budget was approved by a four to one vote. Trustee Grace Smith voted against the budget.

Gray then quickly adjourned the meeting.

One citizen called out a request to the citizens present as everyone began to leave.

“You see what you’ve got to do,” he shouted. “You’ve got to get them off the board.”