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Glynn County BOE budget plan would use reserves and add $7.85 million for local salary increases
Summary
At an April 10 work session, finance staff presented FY26 budget assumptions showing a proposed $7,854,760 local salary-and-benefit increase, mandated cost increases, and a projected $4.53 million draw on fund balance absent additional revenue or transfers.
At a Glynn County Board of Education work session on April 10, finance staff member Cody reported budget assumptions for fiscal year 2026 that project total revenues of $190,736,700 and recommend a districtwide local salary-and-benefit increase that would cost $7,854,760.
Cody said the district estimated a $4,720,800 increase in local tax revenue using a 6% rise in the digest, a 97% collection rate and a current millage of 4.9. She also said the district expects an additional $1,500,000 in QBE allotment tied to certified health insurance increases but that the exact QBE number should be available by the May work session.
The presentation listed mandated cost increases including a 1.13% TRS contribution rise ($1,217,300) and state health insurance increases that Cody estimated would add $1,423,500 for certified staff and $1,643,500 for classified staff. Those mandated changes totaled $4,284,300. Other planned increases include step pay for certified staff ($1,022,700) and classified staff ($462,500), five new positions ($488,000), and an estimated $54,500 in supplement increases. Departmental budgets were increased by $391,600, primarily to cover an expected 25% rise in casualty and cyber insurance costs.
Cody told the board she eliminated the planned transfer to the capital outlay fund for FY26 and that, after the proposed salary and benefit increases and other adjustments, the district’s expenditures would exceed revenues by $4,525,860 — meaning the budget as presented would draw on fund balance unless other changes occur.
Board members asked about assumptions behind the revenue estimates and about past trends. Cody said the tax assessor’s office recommended a 97% collection rate and that last year’s actual digest growth had been about 4.5%. She also noted that the estimated beginning fund balance included a planned $3,000,000 operating transfer; if that transfer is not made, the available fund balance would be $3,000,000 higher.
Cody compared the current proposed increase with last year’s: she said the general fund increase last year was about $11,800,000 and that this year’s proposed increase of roughly $7.8 million is about $700,000 less than last year’s.
Cody and board members discussed the difficulty of offsetting salary and benefit costs because personnel make up a high proportion of the district budget. Cody said the local salary increase is intended to restore the district’s pay competitiveness within the RESA peer group so positions fall “pretty much” back into the top three, while acknowledging exact comparisons are imperfect.
No formal vote on the FY26 assumptions occurred at the work session; Cody said the board should expect more definitive revenue numbers at the May work session when the initial QBE allotment and updated assessor data are available.
The board also discussed next steps for any final budget decisions, including possible adjustments to operating transfers, millage decisions and the May schedule for review of the QBE allotment.
