Slowing Economy Forces JPS To Look For Ways To Save On Upgrades

Jackson, MS -- From blow-torched floors to freshly painted walls, crews are putting the final touches on the classrooms. When students come back for class they will notice some differences this school year.

"We've done some calibration -- raising the temperature. We have to be really sensitive to heat issues in the summer time," said JPS Deputy Superintendent of Operations Michael Thomas.

Thomas said with the slowing economy, they've been forced to cut the cost of lunch by $0.25 and cook just enough to avoid leftovers.

Plus, with gas prices at an all-time high, the school board has budgeted an additional $500,000 for fuel costs and they've gotten rid of door pickups.

"We've gone to corner stops. We're really making use of it now in light of the energy issues we have," said Thomas.

At the beginning of the summer, the school board had 300 vacancies. But because of the increasing coast of just about everything, they've reduced the number of teacher slots they need to fill.

"We eliminated 37 to 38 instructional positions," said Thomas.

Even with the cutbacks, Thomas assures the quality of education won't be affected.

Right now, the district still needs to fill more than 44 open teaching positions.