DeKalb superintendent would use surplus to eliminate teacher furlough day
A revenue surplus and proposed cuts to non-classroom expenditures will allow the DeKalb County School District to restore one employee furlough day for the fiscal year that begins in July.
Superintendent Michael Thurmond released his proposed budget Tuesday. It contains $18.5 million in cuts to legal fees and the central office. The savings would go toward eliminating a furlough day at a cost of $3 million so teachers and others will have another day for training. Thurmond is also recommending $4 million for textbook purchases, $1.1 million for a new student assessment system and $1 million to plan for a new “career pathways” academy. He is proposing other new expenditures in his $759 million budget that also sets aside nearly $13 million in savings.
The school board gets final say on the fiscal year 2014 budget, with votes on a tentative and then final version expected in June. Meanwhile, the board will hold a second public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday at 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd., Stone Mountain. A third and final hearing is 3 p.m. on May 15. Read Thurmond's budget at www.dekalb.k12.ga.us.
About the Author
Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.
