Category Archives: Budget

DeKalb Schools is scheduled to come out with the proposed FY16 budget at the May 4 board meeting. The board made it clear at the March 2 meeting, they wanted to see an increase in spending on instruction.

Since 2012, annual tax collections for the school district have increased by roughly $100 million. The superintendent proposed spending $20 million of that on teachers with the following news release.
 4 percent cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) for all veteran teachers with 6 or more years of experience
 3 percent COLA increase to teachers with 0-5 years of experience; and,
 2 percent COLA increase for all other employees.
The school district FY2015-2016 Budgeting Process includes:
 April 1 – Board of Education and public comment input
 May 4 – Proposed budget and revenue projections presented to the Board
 May 28 – Tentative budget published in The Champion
 June 1 – Board adopts tentative budget and has first millage rate hearing
 June 4 – Five-year millage rate history published in The Champion
 June 17 – Final budget adoption vote and 2nd and 3rd millage hearings

Wednesday April 1 will be the first Public Budget Input Hearing.  The Business Meeting will follow the budget hearing where the board will eventually discuss our Fy2016 Budget Priorities.
Q:  What do you feel should be the board’s budget priorities?
Here are the board’s FY2015 Budget Priorities:
John Coleman

• eliminate furlough days
• address class size
• expand our fund balance
• reduce costs on what’s not needed in the budget

Marshall Orson

• eliminate furlough days
• enhance pay and benefits including retirement benefits
• honest conversation about class sizes
• IB program; not fully funded; expand program to high school
• need nurses in middle and high schools
• expand use of Margaret Harris to other school districts
• market services to other districts to create revenue

Thad Mayfield

• align the budget discussion with the current strategic plan
• budget process: what is base for each division; what are the programmatic requirements
• access the efficacy of the programs and ability to get to the target goal areas
• evaluate our processes; work flow
• what are the financial constraints; look at quarterly reports on dollars spent vs. performance of dollars spent

Joyce Morley

• eliminate furlough days
• more funding for parent engagement, conferences, and workshops
• review the counselor position; counselor salary; role of the counselor

Karen Carter

• eliminate furlough days
• grow the fund balance
• address teacher morale; financial incentive for staying with us through tough times
• enough counselors in place all the time; quality counselors in all buildings
• nurses in all schools

Michael Erwin

• eliminate furlough days
• review number of counselors in schools
• look at security in the schools
• building maintenance (i.e. paint)
• increase fund balance
• reduce our legal fees

David Campbell

• eliminate furlough days
• financial incentive of 1 to 2% merit raise
• school repairs (i.e. track fields)
• skill development (professional development)

Jim McMaHan

• stipends for teachers
• reduce class size
• address security (return canine dogs)
• budget process (i.e. chart of accounts); transparency and clarity in division budgets; alignment of consolidated financials

Melvin Johnson (Summary Statements)

• eliminate furlough days and direct funds to staff
• build the fund balance to sustain the system
• direct funds to the classroom for student achievement