By Blake Deshazo | The Selma Times-Journal
The Selma City Board of Education is demanding the Dallas County Board of Education to pay back more than $1 million from a half-cent sales tax.

“Please consider this letter a formal demand for payment of the $1,178,526.63 debt that Dallas County Board of Education owes to Selma City Board of Education,” the letter stated.

The letter was sent to the county board in August and signed by the city board’s attorney Katy Smith Campbell.

Dallas County Board of Education member Roy Edwards addressed the Dallas County Commission Monday about the letter, asking for help in settling the ongoing dispute that started in July 2014.

“They operate independently of anything or any oversight, yet they still use county funds to fund their operation,” Edwards said to the commission. “They’re demanding more money from an already financially strapped Dallas County School System.”

The tax, which was passed by the commission in 2012, was intended to benefit Dallas County Schools to help them meet a state requirement for financial reserves. State law requires a school system to have at least one month’s operating expenses in reserves. When the tax was passed, the county school system was well below the required amount, while the city was above the required amount.

“The public needed to know that without receiving the tax money that was implemented for the county schools that we would not be able to function,” Edwards said. “Our budget is bare bones.”

The letter demanding the payment from the county boards states, “The Selma City Board of Educations demands that payment be made in full by Oct. 1, 2016, or that suitable arrangements be made with the first installment to be paid no later than Oct. 1, 2017.”

Edwards said the county does not have the money to pay what the city is legally owed.

“Naturally, we don’t have $1 million to write a check to send to them,” Edwards said.

The county currently sends the city schools roughly $65,000 a month in tax revenue, according to Edwards.

“This has been a lump in my throat ever since this was discovered,” said Dallas County Commissioner Roy Moore. “This commission worked its tail off to acquire a half-cent sales tax to get our county school systems back on track again.”

Moore, who hopes the tax doesn’t have to be rescinded, said a meeting would be held soon between all parties to once again attempt to resolve the issue.

“I can’t predict what’s going to happen with this. I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but I can assure you one thing,” Moore said. “Something is going to happen.”

Edwards said if the county system is mandated to pay the money, detrimental cuts would be made, such as a loss of teachers, support staff and even schools. Edwards also requested oversight of the city school system by the county.

“Any oversight or change in the governance of the school system is not warranted,” said Dr. Angela Mangum.

Phone calls to Selma City Board of Education President Henry Hicks were not immediately returned.