School Board Members Approve Legislative Priorities

With just over three months left to go before the new fiscal year begins, members today could learn a bit more about the numbers that will fuel the 2012-2013 district budget.

We’ll be covering live the 8:30 a.m. Paulding County School Board meeting. On the meeting’s agenda is a presentation on the district’s finances.

“The primary concern we’re going to have [in 2012-2012] is the continuing reduction we’re seeing in our property tax base. We’re anticipating anywhere between a 12- and 18-percent reduction in our assessed value, so that’s going to have a huge impact on the school district,” Associate Superintendent Brian Otott said, adding that district officials haven’t seen any gains nor any significant cuts included in state education budget numbers.

“The majority of our concern is our tax digest and the impact on local funds.”

, Superintendent Cliff Cole said preliminary FY 2013 numbers put anticipated revenues at $204 million—that figure was based on a 12-percent decrease in local tax assessments. But expenses, he said at that meeting, were slated to be $214 million, a difference of $10 million.

Increasing class sizes and adding additional unpaid leave days for personnel were two ideas discussed by district leaders to help make up the funding difference, Cole said last month, but neither idea had been slated for implementation at the time.

"I think some of the decisions we're going to have to make are going to be more difficult, if not as difficult, as we've had to make in past years," Cole said.

Board members this morning also will hear a presentation on a financial audit of the district.

“We’re almost in a state of constant audit at the school district,” Otott said. “This will just be a report of the most recent audit. We get audited on different things—our [Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax revenues and spending], our general fund, title and federal programs.”

The Paulding County School Board will meet at 8:30 a.m. in the central office boardroom. The meeting is open to the public.