NATCHEZ &045;Natchez schools have a little leeway in deciding how they’ll make up days missed from Hurricane Katrina.

The state Board of Education reduced the required hours in each class from 140 to 130 at Wednesday’s meeting, telling the affected districts to come up with their own plan by Nov. 15.

Superintendent Anthony Morris said the Natchez-Adams district was already ahead of the required 140 hours, giving them some cushioning to make up the week they lost.

&8221;We have to show a good faith effort that we are trying to make it up,&8220; Morris said. &8221;We haven’t finalized it yet, but we’ll probably eliminate some 60 percent days and make them full days.&8220;

Morris said he didn’t anticipate adding any days to the school calendar for students, but he said teachers may be asked to come in.

Morris attended the state board meeting at Biloxi High School to report on how his district has been affected by the hurricane.

Natchez-Adams has enrolled more than 500 evacuees, the second highest number in the state. Only Jackson Public Schools, a district eight times larger, has enrolled more.

Morris said he thought other educators in the state were just starting to realize how Natchez has impacted.

&8221;All the focus has really been on the coast and the catastrophe there,&8220; he said. &8221;They haven’t really focused on that those people had to go somewhere in the state.&8220;

Morris said he talked to many superintendents at the meeting who had no idea Natchez was providing for so many students.

&8221;The state department has commented that we are doing an excellent job,&8220; Morris said. &8221;It has worked well. I’m extremely proud of all the support we’ve gotten from our staff members and students.&8220;

Morris said he didn’t get answers on funding from Wednesday’s meeting that he had hoped for, though.

The state board told a crowd of 50 to 75 people, he said, that they were working with the federal government on a plan that would bring $7,500 per evacuee child to the district.

&8221;It’s not finalized yet,&8220; Morris said. &8221;But they sounded very optimistic. That would pretty much cover what we need. We needed it yesterday, though.&8220;

Morris has put off hiring additional teachers because he’s had no assurance that salary money would come. Teacher pupil ratios are high in nearly every class in the district.

Morris said he was hoping for an answer so additional hires could be approved at the district’s monthly meeting next week.

&8221;We really need to know something in the next few weeks,&8220; he said. &8221;I’m hoping it will come any day.&8220;