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The Coweta County Board of Education voted to
approve an operational budget of $165,483,455 for the 2012
fiscal year, at their regularly monthly meeting of June 14, at
the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts.
The budget’s approval came after tentative approval, which was
made at a called meeting on Monday, May 23.
The school system operates on a fiscal year that extends from
July 1 until June 30 of the following year. The budget covers
school system operations and other expenditures during the
upcoming fiscal year. It is also based on revenue estimates
including anticipated state educational funding during the
upcoming year, and the estimated Coweta County tax digest for
the upcoming year.
The fiscal year (FY) 2012 budget presented on Monday is
approximately $200,000 less than the $165.7 million operational
budget adopted by the Board in June, 2010 for FY 2011, and $6.7
million less than the $172.2 million operational budget adopted
by the Board in June, 2009 for FY 2010.
Coweta County School System operational budgets have been
reduced since 2008 because of state cuts instituted as a result
of lower state revenue collections, and because of decreases in
Coweta County’s tax digest.
The FY 2012 budget tentatively adopted Monday would not differ
substantially from the Coweta County School System’s FY 2011
operational budget. No reductions in K-12 academic offerings are
anticipated.
The FY 2012 budget tentatively approved by the Board on Monday
would also maintain property tax rates at the current 18.59
mills - which the Board has maintained since first setting that
rate in 2004.
The budget presented to the Board on Monday anticipates a 5
percent reduction in the Coweta County tax digest, resulting in
$3,032,884 in revenue decreases from the current fiscal year. It
also anticipates a further net decrease of $843,179 in revenues
resulting from state austerity cuts and an elimination of
federal ARRA funding.
Funding from savings during the current fiscal year and
operational reserves are used to cover those revenue shortfalls,
increased costs for diesel fuel, and other costs.
The budget continues a calendar that reduces the work-year by
three days for all employees working over 180 days. The student
instructional calendar is maintained at 180 days.
The FY 2012 school system budget tentatively approved Monday
includes a General Fund budget of $165,483,455. That budget
(funded principally by state revenues and local property taxes)
reflects a decrease from the school system’s General Fund
budgets of $165,674,469 adopted in June, 2010, $172,206,757
adopted in June, 2009, and $175,931,581, adopted in June, 2008.
The General Fund includes the largest portion of funding for
instruction and pupil services, maintenance and operation of
schools, transportation, and other operational costs.
In addition to the $165.5 million General Fund, there were three
other components tentatively approved by the board as a part of
its total FY 2012 budget.
They include $24,141,317 in Special Revenue, which accounts for
state and federal funding sent to special federal programs such
as Title I, federal lunch programs, and IDEA.
Also included were $41,147,795 in Capital Projects, which
accounts for construction and other capital expenditures during
the year. The fund reflects school construction and improvement
projects during the upcoming year. School construction and debt
service are funded principally by Educational Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds and some state funding for
construction.
Debt Service payments are made from ESPLOST collections already
on-hand and set aside specifically towards short-term
(five-year) bonds issued for construction projects under the
current one-cent SPLOST. $9,731,432 in Debt Service was budgeted
for FY 2012.
Those funds, combined with operations funds, total $238,503,999.
The budget will take effect on July 1, 2011.
FY2012 CCSS Budget Chart (pdf) |
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