Marietta school board drops Spanish program to save funds

MARIETTA - Marietta school board members voted to fund an abbreviated version of Mariettas elementary Spanish program for next year. <br> <br> Board members also agreed Tuesday to raise taxes to meet the needs of the district. Several members said they didn&#39;t think the Spanish program was worth the additional quarter-mill tax rate increase that would have been required. <br> <br> The action shaved about $387,000 from the $66.2 million budget, officials said. <br> <br> The board raised the tax rate for the first time in seven years but rejected a request to reinstate a program that taught Spanish to children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Budget cuts will reduce the program to fourth and fifth grade. <br> <br> The decision didn&#39;t sit well with parents who said they chose homes in the city school district because it offered such unique programs. Marietta was one of the few districts in Georgia that offered Spanish to elementary school students. <br> <br> The budget, a 10 percent spending increase, was approved by a 5-2 vote. The spending plan includes a 3.25 percent raise for all employees. The tax rate will be increased by 2.5 mills to $17.97 for each $1,000 of assessed property value. <br> <br>