Friday March 29th, 2024 4:49AM

Hall County School Board gives final okay to FY2019 budget with lowered millage rate, supply cards for teachers

By B.J. Williams
The Hall County School District budget for the upcoming fiscal year is a done deal.
 
Board members unanimously approved the $282.2 million budget Monday night, a spending plan that includes pay increases across the board and additional money for school safety.
 
Superintendent Will Schofield said the pay raises for classroom teachers and other certified employees amount to an average increase of 2.23 percent. Board members also approved additional funding for supply cards for all certified school-level staff members.
 
"The board stepped forward and put $210,000 in to get all of our certified folks at the school level $100 supply cards," Schofield said. "Teachers are just some of the most giving people you'll ever meet, and whether it's the media specialist or the classroom teacher, the counselor, they're always reaching into their own pocket to get something that helps them do their job better."
 
 
Board votes for additional millage rate rollback
 
Board members also changed the amount of the millage rate for Fiscal Year 2019, dropping the rate to 18.2.
 
"We had already in the budget proposed to take the millage rate from 18.49 down to 18.29 and they [board members] wanted to take it another nine-tenths further south," Schofield said. 
 
Even with the additional rollback, some property owners may see a tax increase because of assessments, although Schofield said homes that were not reassessed should see a decrease in their property tax bill.
 
Schofield also pointed out that exemptions continue to limit revenue for the school system, even as the system grows.
 
"The exemptions continue to grow at an explosive rate," Schofield said. "Of our $6.2 billion digest in Hall County, approximately 20-percent is now exempt from school taxes. That figure continues to grow at about 10-percent a year...I continue to call it an unsustainable pattern."
 
 
Additional safety measures are large part of the FY19 budget
 
Schofield also pointed to added safety measures for each school in the district in light of concern over school shootings in other parts of the country. 
 
"[We're] putting mini-stations for sheriff's department deputies that are on patrol at all 20 of our elementary schools," Schofield said.
 
Two additional resources officers have been hired for the new year, as well.
 
Schofield said district officials continue to research ways to limit entrance into the schools by unauthorized persons. 
 
"And, we continue to train our people to handle mental illness and some of the challenges that our young people are going through and how to intervene in those situations," Schofield said.
 
To see a link to the full budget, follow this link to the Hall County School District website. 
 
 
  • Associated Categories: Local/State News, Politics
  • Associated Tags: Will Schofield, Hall County School Board, teacher pay raises, Hall County School District , school safety, FY 2019 budget
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