Fulton County Schools superintendent warns of revenue shortfall, proposes cuts as board approves March budget adjustments
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Summary
Superintendent Dr. Looney told the board the district faces lower state revenue and federal uncertainty, proposing a reduced salary increase and cuts to central office and nonpersonnel spending; the board unanimously approved March FY2025 budget adjustments and related banking resolutions.
Fulton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Looney told the board on March 19 that projected revenue declines and higher mandated costs will require reductions in the fiscal year 2026 budget planning process.
"Given the comparison between the requests and projected revenue, it's gonna be necessary to make some reductions," Dr. Looney said, outlining preliminary measures the administration plans to include in a recommendation to the board.
The superintendent said the district will recommend a 2.5% salary increase and a step increase for employees rather than the 3% previously discussed, reductions to some supplemental pay, a reduction in central office positions and a 5% cut to nonpersonnel departmental budgets. He also said the chief information officer has been tasked with cutting more than $500,000 in software and computer costs. "At the end of the day, we're gonna have less revenue and increase expenses in the upcoming year," Dr. Looney said.
The board took immediate action on several routine financial items on the consent agenda. Marvin Doreeth, chief financial officer, presented the March proposed adjustments for FY2025; the board approved those adjustments unanimously. The board also accepted attached banking resolutions for multiple schools and approved land, legal and personnel matters discussed in executive session; those motions carried unanimously as well.
Why it matters: Fulton County Schools serves a large and diverse student population; reductions to supplements, central office positions and nonpersonnel spending can affect services, programming and staffing decisions across the district. Dr. Looney said the administration's stated goal is to minimize impact to students and staff while addressing the budget gap.
Board members asked for transparency and community engagement on the upcoming budget recommendation. Dr. Looney said he will present a formal recommendation in the months ahead as the district consolidates department and school requests into a single proposal.
Votes at a glance
- Motion to approve land, legal and personnel matters as discussed in executive session (mover: Miss Posadick; seconder: Miss Gillespie): motion carried unanimously (executive session action). Notes: matters were discussed in executive session on 03/19/2025; specifics were not read into the public record.
- Motion to approve consent agenda items as presented (mover: Miss Dove; seconder: Miss Gregory): motion carried unanimously. Notes: consent agenda included routine items; board did not discuss individual consent items on the public record.
- Motion to approve March proposed adjustments to the FY2025 budget (presented by Marvin Doreeth; mover: Miss Dove; seconder: Miss Gregory): motion carried unanimously.
- Motion to accept attached banking resolutions for specified schools (mover: Miss Posadick; seconder: Miss Gillespie): motion carried unanimously. Notes: resolutions covered a list of individual school banking authorizations included in the packet.
The superintendent said he will present a consolidated FY2026 budget recommendation that reflects the revenue realities and the program and personnel reductions he outlined. He emphasized the district's intent to limit student-facing impacts where possible while balancing mandated expenditures and rising costs.