Fulton 2006-2007 Budget Gains Final Approval

Posted Saturday, June 10, 2006

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On June 8, the Fulton County Board of Education approved a 2006-2007 general operating budget of $735,155,672. The budget reflects an 8.5% increase over the current year, primarily in order to accommodate significant student growth, meet new state class size requirements and grant pay raises to employees.

Budget highlights

This year’s budget maintains Fulton’s commitment to student achievement by continuing to fund elementary band and orchestra programs, staffing schools at levels that far surpass state funding allocations, and providing extra resources to schools with high numbers of at-risk students. The budget continues to fund the costs of Advanced Placement exams, SAT Prep exams, and other systemwide testing options.

The budget also:

• Accommodates growth needs associated with approximately 6,000 additional students
• Provides a 1.4% raise for employees along with step increases of approximately 2.8% for all eligible employees
• Covers increased costs in employee benefits, including an $8 million increase in district-paid health insurance costs
• Provides for increased costs for gasoline and utilities
• Allocates $10 million to meet new state class-size reductions

This was the most difficult budget season faced by Fulton County Schools in recent memory. Student growth, state mandates, uncertainty surrounding the Fulton County Tax Assessors Office, and rising operating costs resulted in higher expenditures and reduced revenues. In order to balance the budget, more than $55 million was cut in programs and/or services. Some programs, such as elementary foreign language, were eliminated while other programs, such as school social workers and psychologists, were reduced. The budget also includes the elimination of approximately 60 positions within the administrative offices. With these cuts, the school system hopes to be in a much better financial position in future years.

Millage to remain the same

In keeping with the Board’s commitment to taxpayers, the FY 2007 budget will reflect no increase in the millage rate; some property owners, however, may have a slight increase in taxes due to reassessments. Fulton’s millage rate of 18.107 will remain the lowest in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Millage rates officially will be adopted at a to-be-announced date.

Final adoption of the FY 2007 budget came after several months of deliberation, including five workshops and six public hearings. The new budget goes into effect July 1, 2006.

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