Athens‑Clarke County school board reviews FY2026 budget proposal and reiterates tentative 18.8‑mill rate

The Athens‑Clarke County School Board heard a presentation on the proposed FY2026 general fund budget and the tentative millage rate during a public budget hearing.

Budget presenter Chris Groner told the board the district’s FY2026 proposal is balanced and projects a beginning and ending fund balance of $55,000,000, equivalent to about 2.59 months of expenditures and roughly 21.57% of total expenditures. Groner said the district’s final tax digest produced an 8.66% increase from the prior year, which allowed some restorations and additions while avoiding a drawdown of reserves.

The budget package presented to the board includes the following notable items: an estimated $300,000 for three certified officers; an estimated $840,000 for 14 noncertified (unarmed) officers — proposed as one unarmed officer for each elementary school; $1,000,000 restored for deferred maintenance (with priority on roofs); and a proposed sustainability coordinator position at an estimated total cost of $133,000 (salary and benefits). Groner said salary and benefit increases and state unfunded mandates were the largest drivers of a $13.2 million increase in total expenditures, of which $11.8 million is salary and benefits and $8.5 million is related to state mandates, health‑insurance increases and TRS changes.

Doctor Askew and other operations staff summarized department‑level changes shown in the proposal: modest increases in transportation and technology to cover additional field trips, routing software and expanded Internet bandwidth; reductions in some plant and safety line items because of prior one‑time purchases and work completed under a safety grant; and a $50,000 contingency to address potential battery replacement costs for the district’s electric buses. Askew said one new charger was expected to arrive imminently and that one bus remained subject to a manufacturer recall for service.

The board also reviewed the tentative millage rate presentation. Staff reported that the tentative rate set in May of 18.8 mills remains unchanged in the proposal. Using the assessor’s final digest, staff said the digest increase is 8.66% for this cycle, with roughly 2.2 percentage points attributable to new construction; the presentation calculated the rollback rate (the millage that would produce the same tax revenue as last year) as 17.659 mills, a difference of 1.141 mills. Staff estimated the district’s net property‑tax revenue at about $146,500,000 and said the current value of one mill is roughly $8,000,000. The presentation also noted an assumed 1% delinquency rate and that the tax commissioner’s fee is 2.5%, a statutory allowance.

Board members asked clarifying questions during the hearing. Board member Linda Davis asked about how professional learning and curriculum coaching reductions would be monitored; Doctor Scott (academics) described feedback forms, needs assessments and building‑level classroom observations as part of implementation monitoring. Board member Mary P. Bagby asked whether packet materials could be shared with the public; staff replied that the budget materials are posted on the district website and the primary confidentiality constraint applies only to materials discussed in executive session. Several board members asked operational questions about electric‑bus chargers, field‑trip counts and the new learning center footprint.

No formal board action on the FY2026 budget or millage rate occurred at this hearing. Staff outlined the remaining timeline: three required millage hearings (the board has scheduled additional budget hearings beyond the minimum), continued public comment opportunities at upcoming hearings, and final approval actions set for the dates advertised in the legal notices.

The meeting adjourned after no public comments were offered and routine closing motions were approved.