FY2025 Tentative Budget

The Barrow County School System Board of Education (BOE) will consider adopting the Fiscal Year 2025 budget at 6 p.m. June 25.

The proposed budget is available for review during normal summer business hours at the Professional Development Center (PDC) at 179 W. Athens St., Winder or you can find it linked here. See a snapshot of what the budget will fund below.

A closer look at where the money goes ...

66% - Classroom Instruction (teachers, supplies & technology)

8% - Maintenance & Operations (staff, supplies, utilities, repairs)

6% - Transportation (staff, fuel, repairs)

5% - Pupil Services (nurses, counseling, athletics)

5% - School Administration (principals, assistant principals, office staff)

4% - Instruction Improvement (special education supports, subject specialists)

6% - All Other (central office staff, supplies)

Millage Rate Details

Typically, property taxes help to cover about 29% of the budget. The BOE voted to tentatively set the 2024 Millage Rate at 15.5 mills - up from 15.298 mills in 2023. (Prior to 2023, the rate was 17.881 in 2022 and 18.5 in 2021.)

The BOE also decided to use reserves to fund $15 million of the budget and not put that additional burden on taxpayers. If they had not made this decision, the millage rate would need to be 19.07 to balance the budget.

What about ESPLOST? Why doesn't it cover the budget?

By law, ESPLOST (Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) can only cover certain expenses such as school buses, building renovations, new schools and facilities, and technology equipment. Having ESPLOST to use toward those things helps to free up money in the General Fund to be used on necessities like salaries and benefits.

• Read our Dollars & Sense Guide for School Finance Facts

If you have money in the Fund Balance Reserves, why do you have to increase the Millage Rate?

School Systems generally try to hold about two to three months of operating expenses in reserve in a fund balance to allow the system to cover monthly expenses during periods before receiving State Quality Basic Education (QBE) Funds. Without a Fund Balance, we would not be able to pay salaries or operational costs during the time before receiving the QBE Funds. School systems also hold money in reserve in a fund balance to help pay for unexpected costs that may arise during a school year.

BUDGET & MILLAGE RATE PUBLIC HEARINGS

All hearings are at the Professional Development Center at 179 W. Athens Street, Winder.

More Information about FY2025 Budget & Millage:

• FY2025 Budget Advertisement
• FY2025 Budget Detail
• FY2025 Budget Public Hearings
• Millage Rate Press Release
• Notice of Property Tax Increase & Public Hearings
• Notice of Current Tax Digest and Five-Year History of Levy – CY2024
• Board of Education Discussion from June 4 Meeting