Oconee County holds first public hearing on tentative FY26 school budget

The Oconee County Board of Education held its first public hearing on the tentative fiscal year 2026 budget on a May 2025 afternoon in the Board Meeting Room at the Instructional Support Center in Watkinsville. Staff presented a proposed $120,500,000 expenditure plan and described the schedule for a second hearing and final adoption.

Peter Adams, district staff member and budget presenter, summarized the tentative budget the board tentatively adopted May 12 and described required state notice and hearing steps. Adams said the tentative FY26 budget totals $120,500,000, combining a continuation budget of $112,600,000 with $7,800,000 in additional considerations that include a $1,080,000 step increase for eligible employees, a $3,080,000 employer health insurance contribution, a $1,100,000 increase in Teacher Retirement System employer contributions and $2,500,000 for the school resource officer program. He said payroll and benefits account for 88.5% of the tentative budget and daily operations make up the remaining 11.5%.

Adams said the budget is based on an estimated rollback millage rate of 13.91 mills, a 2.32% decrease from the current 14.25 mills, and that if the rollback rate is adopted, separate hearings on the millage rate would not be required. He presented projected fund balances: an estimated unassigned fund balance of $20,450,000 on June 30, 2025, and a projected ending fund balance of $23,250,000 on June 30, 2026 (about 19.2% unassigned). Adams said federal revenues and expenditures are each projected at approximately $7,600,000, about 6.5% of the total, and that the district administers about nine federal grant programs annually.

During the public-comment portion, Pamela Hendricks identified herself as speaking for taxpayers and urged the board to consider the increase in reserves even as student enrollment falls. "It has gone up every single year. I don't care what your budget says. You're holding more and more and more of the taxpayer money. And it's currently at $68,000,000 — that's my money that you're sitting on," Hendricks said. She also noted the district is projecting 98 fewer students next year while the budget would increase by $5,635,549 and said the county's high tax rates contribute to population changes.

Board members asked one procedural question about the last full rollback and thanked staff for preparing the materials. Adams said he would verify the last full rollback year (he said he believed it to be 2014) and follow up. The board scheduled a second budget hearing for May 29, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. and will vote on the final FY26 budget and tentative millage rate at its June 9 meeting.

The hearing opened with a motion to approve the agenda, which passed; the transcript does not list a complete roll-call vote. The meeting was then carried forward to the budget presentation and public comment and later adjourned at the close of the agenda.