FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — A multi-million budget shortfall predicted in the 2019-2020 school year means the Fulton County School District must make some difficult decisions – and right now, it’s unclear if any jobs will be put on the chopping block.
Documents published this week show that the Fulton County School District is facing a projected budget gap of between $44 and $56 million in the next school year.
The Fulton County School Board is expected to vote on next year’s school budget in June, and those cuts could be felt by students through larger class sizes, cuts in English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) learning programs and restructuring the district’s alternative schools.
The district’s finance department presented several recommendations before the school board on Tuesday – including using $38 million from a remaining fund balance to cover part of the gap, with the goal of cutting an additional $20 million from next year’s budget to cover the rest of the difference. One proposal is to take nearly $7 million out of the central office budget.
"Cabinet is still working on the details to bring forth in the coming months," said a member of the finance department during the meeting.
The proposal did not mention how the money would be saved, or if layoffs are being considered.
"We are still evaluating the potential impact of our current budget gap," said Susan Hale, Fulton County School District spokeswoman. "Given that 83 percent of the general fund budget involves people, there may be a possibility that personnel could be impacted."
The finance department said another $8.5 million could be cut in the following ways:
- Decreasing spending per student by 15 percent - or $27.
- Increasing middle and high school remedial classes in size, from 20 students for every one teacher, to 23 students per teacher.
- Restructuring the district’s two alternative schools – Independence High School and McClarin High School.
- Reducing the so-called “instructional reserve fund” used for unforeseen school year expenses by 25 percent.
- Reducing ESOL programming by 75 percent – which equates to about $1 million. The district stressed this would not impact federal funding for ESL programs.
"We've noticed that schools have shown an inability to spend their total allotment as prescribed," the finance department member stated.
Read more on the Fulton County School District budget timeline presentation.
WHAT LED TO A SHORTFALL OF $56 MILLION?
The district points to a 3 percent cap on Fulton County property tax increases after voters approved a ballot item in November. They all point to a reduction in the county’s millage rate and a decrease in state quality basic education funding.
To offset some of the proposed cuts, current recommendations would allow school principals to carry over unused funds from this year to the next at a higher rate than the district allowed in the past.