Starting next Monday, June 11, Hall County School Board members will begin a series of public hearings on the FY 2019 budget, a spending plan that includes employee pay raises, additional staff for the opening of Cherokee Bluff Middle and High Schools and additional security equipment for schools, among other added expenses.
The $255.6 million budget reflects an increase in spending of 6.61-percent, according to published documents, which are accessible on the Hall County School District website.
School System Finance Officer Jonathan Boykin said while it appears property tax assessments will increase almost eight-percent (7.94%, according to figures available to the School District's Central Office on Monday), the Board will consider a budget that rolls back the millage rate by .21 mills. Boykin said that's not a full rollback, but it will allow for a reduction of an estimated $1 million on local property taxes.
In a statement released last week, School System Superintendent Will Schofield said the growing school district will need extra funding.
"Opening Cherokee Bluff Middle and High Schools requires a strategic investment, but it reflects a move that positions us for the growth our community is experiencing," Schofield wrote. "I thank our board of education for their proactive approach to planning that keeps our students in permanent buildings and ensures that our district remains firmly steered in a direction that resists the 3,000 student mega-schools of metro Atlanta."
Schofield and Boykin both noted the nearly $8 million increase in benefit costs for school system employees, an expense that has moved upward in the last several budget cycles.
The first public hearing on the budget is set for Monday, June 11 at 6 p.m. following the school board's regularly scheduled work session. The other two public hearings will be held on Monday, June 25 - one at 11:30 a.m. and the other at 6 p.m. All three hearings will be held at the school district's central office on Green Street in Gainesville.
