School Board to Adopt FY2025 Budget Following Public Hearing Tomorrow

The Stephens County Board of Education will hold the final public hearing on the tentative FY2025 school system budget at 5 p.m. tomorrow, June 18. The hearing will be held at the Stephens County Schools District Office, 191 Big A School Road in Toccoa. The Board will meet for a regularly-scheduled meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the District Office, and the Board is expected to vote on the adoption of the tentative budget during that meeting. 

 As previously reported by WNEG News, The $51.5 million budget proposed by the BOE is $3,670,910, or 7.68% higher than the adopted FY2024 budget of $47,787,815; 27.89% ($11,221,614) more than the adopted FY2023 budget of $40,237,111; and 33% ($12,767,496) above the FY2022 Budget of $38,691,229.

The tentative budget includes salary increases for all employees, increases in health insurance costs, and consolidated and non consolidated federal funds allotted to the school system.  

Relating to the salary increases, the proposed budget includes a state-mandated $2,500 flat rate pay increase for certified employees (teachers) and a BOE-approved, locally funded $2,500 flat rate pay increase for full-time classified employees (support staff) that will be prorated for part-time classified employees. Certified employees will also receive a two percent increase in their local salary supplement.

Emily Bennett, Chief Financial Officer, said the FY25 proposed budget is heavily impacted by a large increase in the employer-paid portion of the health insurance premiums, stating “The health insurance premiums for certified employees will increase to $21,360 annually or $1,780 monthly, for each certified employee. The health insurance premiums for classified employees will increase to $18,720 annually or $1,560 monthly for each classified employee.The total cost to the Stephens County School System for this one expense [employee health insurance premiums] is $900,000, an increase of 23 percent above the FY2024 employee portion of employee health insurance premiums.”

Stephens County School Superintendent Dr. Connie Franklin told WNEG News that the increased employer burden on insurance is state mandated.

Additional strains on the budget are continuously increasing maintenance and supply costs and the Teacher Retirement System (TRS) employer contribution portion will also increase by almost one percent per employee (from 19.98 to 20.78 percent) in FY25, totaling $743,000. 

Franklin pointed out that the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER funding, will not be available as it has been since the program was implemented in response to the COVID 19 pandemic. She also explained that, due to declining poverty rates in the county, the School District would also be losing Title V funds, and Title 1 Funds may be impacted.  

According to Franklin, the School System millage rate will remain unchanged at 14.76.