Fulton County Board adopts $2.46 billion FY2026 budget amid warnings on rising healthcare and special‑education costs
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Summary
The board unanimously approved the FY2026 budget package totaling $2.463 billion. Administrators cautioned that rising health‑insurance, TRS and special‑education costs, along with declining enrollment, will require multi‑year cost‑savings and revenue strategies.
The Fulton County Board of Education voted unanimously on June 10 to adopt the fiscal year 2025–26 budgets, approving a general fund appropriation of $1,474,973,142 and a total appropriation of $2,463,595,140 across funds.
A motion to approve the budget was moved by Miss Dove and seconded by Miss Gregory. During discussion, district leaders and board members underscored several long‑term fiscal pressures: employer health‑insurance costs up about 99% over four years, Teachers Retirement System (TRS) employer costs up roughly 21.9%, and special‑education program costs up approximately 41.5%. At the same time the district faces declining enrollment (about a 4.6% drop noted) that increases per‑pupil costs.
The adopted actions include fund‑balance commitments in line with policy (Reserves per DIBA policy $219,655,624) and assignments for textbooks and risk management. The administration said it will develop a cost‑savings and revenue generation plan ahead of FY2027 to sustain long‑term financial stability.
Board members stressed transparency and advance communication to stakeholders. "We are working on a strategy to address the financial challenges and headwinds before us over the next several years," said Doctor Looney, reiterating that the administration had instructed operational units to reduce nonessential spending during budget development.
The board approved the budget on a unanimous voice vote during the work session; staff noted the full budget book is available online for detailed line‑item review.
