Gwinnett passes $1.76 billion school budget

By Patrick Fox

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Gwinnett County school board cleared the final hurdle on its 2011 budget on Tuesday night, voting to adopt a $1.7 billion spending plan -- a decrease of $251 million from the current spending.

The significant budget cut comes at a time when the district is absorbing another 1,633 students and opening seven new schools and one replacement school. Across the board, Gwinnett County will increase classes by one student to offset that. District officials also voted to keep the property tax rate unchanged by tentatively adopting the same mill levy as in 2009: 20.55 mills.

"This is the toughest budget we've ever had," said Gwinnett School Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks.

In another metro Atlanta school development, Superintendent Frank Petruzielo of Cherokee County Schools recommended in a Thursday night work session that the board raise the school tax millage rate by 1 mill. The current rate is 18.45 per $1,000 in value. He said an owner of a $150,000 home would pay an extra $58 dollars a year in taxes. It would raise a total of $6.8 million. The proposal will be considered and voted on by the board probably during its June 17 meeting.

As all metro Atlanta school districts have experienced, the weak economy, slumping property values and shortfalls in state funding greeted Gwinnett County officials with a $115 million deficit when the budgeting process began this spring. Besides increasing all class sizes by one student, the district chose to freeze employee salaries and require three furlough days for all employees except bus drivers and food service workers. Other cuts included a district-wide, 7.5-percent reduction in operating expenses and decreasing its retirement system contribution. Overall, the operating cuts totaled $72 million.

The biggest decline in 2011 spending, 57 percent, will come in capital projects. The district is committing $197 million less for construction next year. The 2010 budget provided almost $340 million for projects, including the eight new school buildings. With one new school approved for next year, the 2011 budget has allocated only $143 million in capital costs.

At the same time, Gwinnett schools will spend an additional $20 million for educational initiatives, including 86 additional teachers and administrative staff for the new schools and instructional materials.

Speaking at a public hearing on the budget held before the vote, Craig Lownes of Suwanee told board members that state and federal cuts have put increased and unfair pressure on teachers.

"I realize these changes are necessary to balance the budget, but I want to point out that we are impacting the key resource of the school system -- the teachers," Lownes said.

Lownes said teachers will be under more stress to do a quality job with less help, plus more scrutiny and increased standardized test measurements. He asked school officials to recognize these hardships and be more supportive of teachers.

Chris Quinn contributed to this article.