Money that Superintendent Jim Flynn says would have been used for instructional purposes is not available this year at Simpson County Schools.

A four percent tax increase, that the Simpson County has banked on having for the past nine years, has been denied by the school board this year.

"What I was recommending 1.9 cents," Flynn says.

That would have totaled out to about a $19 increase on taxes annually.

Instead, Franklin taxpayers are having to pay around $6 more annually from an approved compensating tax, which leaves little breathing room for Simpson County Schools.

"Now's not the time to back down on our commitments, but I feel like with the decision the board made, we'll make ends meet, we'll figure it out, and we'll just have to be creative and figure out ways to get our kids what they need and we'll do that," Flynn says about the budget.

However, $450,000 has been cut from the Simpson County budget this year.

Which means, no new text books and about half the money for an school tutoring program.

"Those extra services cost and we've been really having to be creative to figure out how to keep those things in place with these declining revenues. I'm concerned about that," says Flynn.

Last year, the school district was ranked in the bottom 15 percent for revenue per student from the state.

On top of that, Simpson County High School ranked in the bottom five percent for state mandated testing.

However, the school board and the state both agreed that students and teachers had enough tools instructional purposes.

But, as the school's property tax increases, the money must come from somewhere.

"Continuing approving the four percent rate and then slowly hopefully you can make up some ground."

Flynn says, there's is a reserved amount of money in place to keep the budget balanced for the next two years.

The vote among school board members was unanimous.