School system faces major fiscal issues for FY2012

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School system faces major fiscal issues for FY2012

Posted by

Mike Buffington

in Education Archives

Thursday, April 7. 2011

Comments (17)

The Barrow County School System faces what portends to be a major financial crisis in its 2012 budget.

In what can only be called a “perfect storm” of conditions, the system is looking at a significant drop in revenue at the same time it has rising costs.

That situation had the Barrow County Board of Education discussing some potentially drastic cuts in the upcoming fiscal year at its meeting last week. Those actions could include not giving a two percent raise, or perhaps cutting to a shorter school year.

The BOE will again take up the budget on Tuesday, April 12 at 6 p.m.

Although very preliminary, early numbers presented at last week’s board of education meeting project that without major changes, the system would have to use up almost all of its reserves to stay in the black for FY2012. Out of a projected $10.7 million in reserves, system officials believe $9.3 million would be necessary to fill in a budget gap.

While school officials discussed some of what it has already done to cut costs and what it plans to cut in the next fiscal year, the main two issues looming are whether or not to raise the system’s property tax millage rate and what cuts to make that would save a significant amount of money.

One of the options the system faces is to not give a two percent raise for staff that is currently in the budget. Freezing the salaries at the current level would save the system $3 million in the FY2012 budget.

For the full story, see the April 6 issue of the Barrow Journal.

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#1 Fortitude on 04/07/11 at 08:28 AM [Reply]

Heres how to fix the issue:
(1)If you dont pay property tax, pay a fee as we can no longer support "free" education on my dime.
(2)Quit building cluster homes without having the county funds to build on to schools
(3) Make sure the children are Barrow Residents by checking the drivers license of their guardian, no GA ID no vote, drive or education
(4) Any household that has more than two children must pay a fee for the third and subsequent child, my property taxes barely pay for one of my children to attend school, so why tax the system by having more kids on the little tax you pay (if any)

If these are looked at, Im sure there will be those crying about it, but facts are facts, we can no longer sustain free education without raising taxes or making it fair for those who already pay taxes and support those who dont.

#1.1 Victor on 04/07/11 at 11:10 AM [Reply]

Excellent suggestions. I would vote for a complete fee based system. I don't have any kids in school so I don't think I should have to pay anything. I shouldn't have to pay to educate somebody else's crotch fruit in the first place...

#1.1.1 Anonymous on 04/07/11 at 05:09 PM [Reply]

Crotch fruit?

You sound like a classy guy.

#1.1.2 Red Ryder on 04/07/11 at 07:49 PM [Reply]

Hey Vic, do you think anyone without children paid for YOUR education?

Or did you get one...

Those that came before you and me helped pay for our education. Should we not do the same?

#1.1.2.1 Vic on 04/07/11 at 08:19 PM [Reply]

Actually, I attended a private school until graduating high school. My parents paid 100% of the tuition. If they did it everyone else can.

#2 Fortitude on 04/07/11 at 11:27 AM [Reply]

Thank you, however, it cost roughly $7k a year to educate one child, many cannot afford that so that is why our property taxes pay for public education. Unfortunaly, there are too many that abuse the system and those who live in apartments, sectional housing, renting and have multi-family households drain the system.
By having a great education system, it would help every homeowner by increasing the property value, it would make people want to move to Barrow county (like Walton,Oconee,Buford and Jefferson city) as a perk on their childrens education.
We need to stop the Liberal whining about "every child" and understand that some children just dont care and neither do their parents, so why should my children suffer academically by making standards lower to help those who simply dont get it ?

#3 Annie Omus on 04/07/11 at 12:09 PM [Reply]

How much would it save the County if they had the parents pay a fee, per child, for text books? In my homestate, we always had to pay for text books (rentals) of approx $75 per year. And you were able to deduct this on your State taxes as well. I do beleive they are now charging a fee to be a bus rider as well but I don't know what the amount is.

#4 Fortitude on 04/07/11 at 02:02 PM [Reply]

There are roughly 12,500 students in the county. If the county collected a $25 resource fee for each child, that would bring the system $312,500 per year. Every parent can afford that, even if you pay $5 a month for 5months, if they cant, they shouldnt have children.
That would pay for text books, supplies, computers etc without taxing the homeowners. Gas is going up, so if you overload the school buses, there should be a gas charge to offset the added expenses of gas, oil, salary and maintenence. Then parents could drive their child to school and eleviate the added expense the transportation has on the county.
I run a business and I have to take all these into expenses into account when I do billing. Running a county is a business and they need to start treating it like one, if you want good results, make those accountable and they will take care of your business.

#5 Anonymous on 04/07/11 at 02:10 PM [Reply]

Interesting tidbit: When the school system changed to a charter system, they lost funds from the state.

This means that they expected the already tax stripped citizens of Barrow County to somehow make up the difference. The school board can and probably will ask for a tax increase (or whatever they want to call it - it's still more money) this year.

#6 Anonymous on 04/07/11 at 05:11 PM [Reply]

Shorten the school year? How is that going to help in the long run? We need to educate these kids so they can grow up to fix these problems.

#7 J_B_Moore on 04/07/11 at 07:12 PM [Reply]

Wait a minute I Hear a faint sound in the distance, Oh I can make it out, just Barely its saying PROPERTY TAX HIKE!!!! Were people on here not talking about how if the "slush fund" aka SPLOST got approved our taxes wouldn't go up. What do you think they are going to do? They dont have to do anything to fix it, they will raise our taxes. Now we already pay more for everything we buy and now we need to hold on and see how much our property taxes will go up. We are all making less money now, so lets ask for a 10% pay cut for all the BOE. That will make up the shortfall. Go ahead scream but why is it fair for me to pay more which is equivilent to a pay cut but they will not feel the need to do their part?

#8 Me on 04/07/11 at 07:42 PM [Reply]

The school system has not "changed to a charter system." They currently have a charter petition that is about to go before the state BOE. They do not lose funds from the state as a result of becoming a charter system. They gain flexibility in using the funds.

#9 Anonymous on 04/07/11 at 08:00 PM [Reply]

This county fascinates me. You have (had) the opportunity to replace members of the BOE. But NO, you kept the same. What is currently in place wasn't and still isn't working; All they do is make excuses and make a bigger mess of things.

Test scores show the schools aren't up to par; it's the way the state figures the scoring -- their calculations MUST be wrong.

Oh let's go to a charter school system, that way we won't have to say our schools didn't pass AYP for what 4 years?

We DON'T NEED that money from the state - why we can get it from the citizens of Barrow County!!! Yep that's the ticket!

Students "can't" learn the "new" math -- must be something faulty with the way we are expected to teach it; never mind there are plenty of other school districts where the students seem to be catching on just fine.
Let's just go back to the way WE learned it 20 - 30 years ago. Yep live sure was easier back then!

Kind of sad the BOE thinks so little of our children's capacity to learn.

But do the citizens of Barrow care? No -- not until they realize it might affect them in the wallet and only then do they get all up in arms!

BUT do they do anything about it other than bi@@@ on the blog sites? NO, they re-elect the same old fools!

#9.1 Metro on 04/08/11 at 07:31 AM [Reply]

Listen up people...if you vote like peasants you deserve to be treated like peasants.

You keep electing the same corrupt bozos over and over and you expect things to change?

LOL!

Throw these tax and spend carpetbaggers out, get some pro business, common sense leadership in there.

#10 Scared for the children's education! on 04/07/11 at 08:02 PM [Reply]

If have often thought out government housing is not making their residents accountable! There are people who live there, their children & grand children & so on down the family line do as well!

I think we should make government housing only available to the people who are truly disabled or trying to do something for his or her self & are working or going to school and they should be there for a limited time!

We have many people who pay no kind of taxes that live in our projects! They have kids & sit at home & do nothing! They get handouts every where we turn form Barrow Co! Free clothes! Free Health insurance! Free food! Then get "utility checks" & TANF checks! It's time we are responsible!

I understand needing help every now & then but over & over!!!

Or maybe people who already have children with disabilities should not have more children that will have disabilities! We have some families with 3 disability children in programs in our school system that require 1 on 1 care during the school day & the system is paying an individual to care for each of these children according to their mother!!

I think it is a great idea to charge $25 for text books & your right if it's broken down into payments and families can't afford it then they should not have children!

Then we also have drug dealers in our community that have the best dressed children in the schools getting free stuff too!

Tax DRUGS TOO!!!! Better than property taxes increasing & hurting our elderly that are on a fixed income!!!

Put your heads together & some up with something! Don't take our school year and give kids a longer summer & more chances to get in trouble!

Are you aware our special ed kids are not being educated just being baby sat all day! They have no text books!!!

Pray for our education system! OUR CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE!!!!!

#11 Fortitude on 04/08/11 at 09:07 AM [Reply]

If the county shortened the calender year, like starting after Labor Day and ending around Memorial day, that would probably keep the teachers and kids learning rather getting bored and forgetting everything they learned so long ago.
From what the Journal said, there will be a little surplus, but not by much, so I doubt any of the BOE memebers would vote for a tax increase. What they need is people to say "Charge the ones who dont pay" as I have attended two board meetings this year and there is no parents that attend, so blame yourself for not knowing whats going on.
Kids are the parents responsibility and not the school's to babysit for you during the summer.

#12 Tom on 04/22/11 at 11:27 PM [Reply]

and we're opening an extra school called a career academy why?

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