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Cherokee County School District outlines FY26 budget, cites $14 million gap from senior exemption
Summary
Ken Owens, Cherokee County School District chief financial officer, presented the district's FY26 budget plan, describing revenue shortfalls tied to a senior exemption, investments in teachers and instructional resources, and the district's current millage rate of 17.95 mills.
Ken Owens, chief financial officer for the Cherokee County School District, presented the district's proposed FY26 budget to the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners during the Aug. 5 meeting, detailing spending priorities, revenue sources and the district's current millage rate.
Owens told commissioners the district faces an estimated revenue gap of about $14 million tied to an expanded senior exemption the school board supported. To address the shortfall, district leaders enacted a package of reductions and reallocations: central-office operational cuts of at least 3% (about $2.4 million); reallocation of approximately $1.4 million from central-office-held funds back to schools; and a realignment of roughly $9.1 million from the general operating budget to other eligible sources including grants and SPLOST.
Owens summarized the district's spending priorities for FY26: invest resources…
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