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Decatur board details FY26 budget timeline and explains opt-out from state digest-growth cap
Summary
Board members outlined FY26 budget priorities—balanced, revenue-neutral approach, ERP investment, and equity-focused allocations—and said the district will pursue an opt-out from the state’s digest-growth cap (House Bill 581) because CPI limits would not match school cost growth.
Board member James Hernan said the City Schools of Decatur’s FY26 budget development began in September and follows a timeline that the board plans to keep: tentative budget approval is scheduled for April 15 with final approval targeted for the May board meeting and potential millage hearings in June if required.
Hernan said the FY26 parameters are intended to produce a balanced, revenue-neutral budget aligned with the district’s strategic accelerators and to seek alternative revenue sources such as grants, rebates and tuition. He said the district has adopted a modified zero-based budgeting approach and plans to invest in an enterprise resource planning system for finance and HR.
On staffing concerns, Hernan disputed circulating claims that assistant principal positions would be eliminated, saying the district currently funds 16 locally while state funding would cover about 8.94 positions and that local funds support the additional APs. He also confirmed that the Georgia Department of Education has placed CSD in targeted-support status for special-education disproportionality and that the DOE completed a site visit and is providing feedback.
Separately, Vice Chair Hans Utz explained why the board intends to opt out of the state cap on digest growth under House Bill 581. Utz said capping growth at the Consumer Price Index would not track key school costs such as state-mandated increases in health insurance and that capping would force cuts to programs or instructional staff. “None of the major expenses associated with running a school system comport to the consumer price index,” Utz said, and he added that many other Georgia districts are pursuing the same opt-out for similar reasons.
District leaders said they will continue public engagement on the FY26 budget, maintain quarterly updates to the board about funding and any proposed financing mechanisms, and return with refined budget materials as the fiscal calendar advances. No formal vote or adoption occurred at the community meeting.
