NATCHEZ — The Natchez-Adams School Board approved Thursday the district’s proposed 2011-2012 budget, which includes a local tax increase equivalent to $25 more in taxes on a $100,000 house.

But the unanimous vote from the board did not pass until after the new Interim Superintendent Joyce Johnson said she would try to make more cuts before raising taxes.

“Give us a month,” Johnson said. “I’ve already found about $100,000 (in cuts), so we will find more if we can.”

The district must send a request for local property taxes to the Adams County Board of Supervisors by Aug. 15. The school board meets Aug. 12 for its next regular meeting, at which point Johnson suggested further cuts might lower the amount of millage the district will be requesting.

Board member David Troutman made a motion for the board to accept the current proposed budget with the understanding that the administration will continue to look for savings.

NASD, which had 860 employees in 2010, is proposing to collect $11,502,416, or 28 percent of its budget, from local property taxes for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

Last year, the district requested $11,121,570, or 25 percent of its budget from local taxes.

The proposed budget for 2011-2012 has projected revenues of $41,022,979, compared to the current year’s projected revenues of $45,223,347.

In other news from Thursday’s meeting:

• Board members voiced their support and voted unanimously in favor of conducting a single-gender class experiment at Frazier Primary School.

Frazier Principal Vera Dunmore requested approval from the board for Frazier to pilot one all-male class in the fall.

“When I saw this (proposal) I jumped up and down and said, ‘Yippee,’” Troutman said.

Dunmore said second-grade teacher Jonathan Pegues proposed to be allowed to teach a single-gender class and supported his request with a 2006 study by Willis, Kilpatrick and Hutton.

The study said, “if same gender class concept is to be achieved, it but begin in the early primary school,” a letter from Dunmore to the administration said.

Other studies cited by Pegues demonstrated students perform better on state tests when taught in single gender class environments.

Newsome asked Dunmore if Frazier would consider piloting an all-girls classroom as well, and first-grade Frazier teacher Jennifer Haile, who attended the meeting, said she would be willing to consider teaching the class.

Newsome asked Dunmore to track data of the performance of students in pilot classes.

“I just want to make sure if we do something innovative that we can say, ‘Yes it was successful,’ or if (it fails) that we know what went wrong…” Newsome said.

Troutman made a motion, which passed unanimously, to accept the administration’s request to have an all-male class at Frazier and to investigate the possibility of having a female class.

Board member Dr. Benny Wright said he was thrilled about the new idea.

“I’m pleased (the Frazier staff) is thinking outside of the box and also recognizing the need to make changes,” Wright said.

• The board voted to change the district’s grading policy to require 60 percent of a student’s course grade to be comprised of tests and 40 percent to be comprised of daily work.

The previous policy required the opposite ratio of tests and daily work.

At the board’s request for feedback from teachers, Haile, a Frazier teacher, said she believed students would perform better on state tests if more importance were placed on testing throughout the year.

• The board voted to authorize the athletic department to replace nine coaches and hire an additional assistant football coach.

The coaching vacancies were a head baseball coach, two assistant baseball coaches, a head soccer coach, an assistant soccer coach, two assistant football coaches, head tennis coach, all at Natchez High; and an assistant soccer coach and assistant track coach at Robert Lewis Middle School.

Some board members questioned Athletic Director Fred Butcher on the necessity of hiring another assistant football coach. The position has been filled in previous years, but was not filled this past year.

Butcher said Natchez High lost more than 20 senior football players after graduation, and this year’s less experienced team needs the support of a full staff. He said the position was only empty this year because the department could not find the right person to fill it.

“I can understand (the board’s) budget concern,” Butcher said. “But if (the district) can put more into (athletics), it will help break down barriers in community.”

Troutman voted to accept Butcher’s recommendation and approve filling the 10 open coaching positions. Wright, Newsome and board member Dale Steckler voted in favor Troutman’s motion, and Board President Harold Barnett voted against it.