Rome City School District presents revised $165.4 million budget ahead of June 16 revote

Superintendent Georgia Gonzalez presented a revised Rome City School District budget for 2026–27 totaling $165,388,086 and outlined changes the board made after voters defeated the original plan in May. Gonzalez said the board chose a revised budget to lower the tax levy and preserve student-facing programs, trimming $173,000 — including a proposed director position and about $16,000 in human-resources initiatives — to reduce the district's administrative share from roughly 7.54% to 7.43% while keeping about 81% of spending directed to student programs.

Gonzalez framed the revision as an attempt to balance affordability and services. "So with that we cut $173,000 from the budget," she said during the forum, and she gave the assembled residents a stark choice: if the revote on June 16 fails, the district must adopt a contingency budget with a 0% tax increase that would force deeper cuts. "That contingency budget means that we cannot raise taxes at all. That's a 0% increase," she said, and she listed likely reductions: the district would have to remove planned additions such as an AIS math teacher, a planned biology teacher, a teacher assistant at Ridge Mills, one of two planned security personnel, security equipment purchases, roadway repairs behind Rome Free Academy (about $200,000–$250,000) and a roughly $200,000 local share for leasing space for UPK at Rome Catholic School — a local share loss that would block a planned move of pre-K and alter renovation timelines.

Speakers at the public forum gave conflicting advice. William Anen, who described himself as a lifelong Rome resident, said rising school taxes have made it difficult for seniors to stay in their homes: "I live on a fixed income of $1,245 a month… I can no longer write you checks for $1,000," he said, and argued that the board should respect the May vote. Several other residents echoed concerns about affordability and district performance and asked for clearer accountability plans before agreeing to more revenue.

By contrast, the Rome NAACP branch — represented by Jacqueline Nelson, who identified herself as the branch president and western-region education director — urged support for the proposed budget as an investment in equity and student opportunity. Local teachers and union leaders, including Christina Sturries, the president of the Rome Teachers Association, urged voters to approve the budget, saying program cuts and staff layoffs that follow a contingency budget would harm student services and teacher capacity.

Voices from inside classrooms underscored the tension: a fifth grader, Trenton Roth, told the board that disruptive behavior makes learning difficult for well-behaved students: "It's not fair to students like me who make good choices and want to learn." Longtime educators at the forum said discipline and class-size pressures persist but cautioned that cutting staff and programs would worsen conditions for students and teachers.

District officials noted a small lift in state aid — referred to at the forum as a roughly 2% increase that equates to about $2 million — that reduces the projected multi‑year shortfall, but Gonzalez warned that state aid is unpredictable and that the district must plan for rising costs and modest aid increases in coming years. She urged turnout on June 16, noting polls will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with an amended Ward 3 polling location at the district office, 266–268 West Dominic Street.

The board did not take a formal vote on the budget at the forum; the public comment period closed after an extended exchange of views and the meeting moved on to routine business. The June 16 revote will determine whether the district implements the revised $165,388,086 budget or shifts to a contingency budget with immediate program and staffing reductions.