On Thursday morning, the board held a meeting open for public comment on the current budget deficit.

The city was able to gather more delinquent tax money than it expected and that will help fund a portion of the district's deficit. Every year the board comes up with an estimate of how much money it will get from the city's delinquent tax payments.

"We are collecting revenue from delinquent taxes that no one could have anticipated, not us or the collectors, so certainly we are the recipients of that we are are pleased to be, and we'll use that money wisely," said Superintendent Phyllis Chase.

In the 2005-2006 school year, the board budgeted over  $2.5 million, but only collected $2.3 million. In 2006-2007, the board projected a collection of $2.4 million, but it received more than $2.5 million. This year the board guessed it would get $2.5 million, but it will get more. An estimated $1.1 million more than expected. That's a 28 percent change from the previous year.

"Unlike our current taxes where each year the assessor tells us what the new assessed evaluation is, and we set the rate, and we calculate our budget, delinquent taxes, are just collected when people choose to pay them,"explained Linda Quinley of Columbia Public Schools.

The school board has until the end of the month to decide on the final 2008-2009 budget. The board plans to hold a public discussion on its current budget deficit Thursday night at 6:30 at the district's office.