The Gwinnett County school board held its first public hearing for the district's proposed $1.7 billion budget, and only two residents showed up.
During the discussion, which included why budget cuts could lead to slightly bigger class sizes in the fall, staff and board members filled most seats in the board room.
The Gwinnett Board of Education plans to adopt its fiscal year 2012 budget next week. A second public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Under the proposed budget, the general fund that pays for school operations will shrink by $38.9 million while enrollment grows, forcing the district to do more with less. The student population is expected to increase by 1,700 bringing the enrollment to more than 162,450 students. Revenue per student, however, will drop from $7,904 to $7,358.
"This has been one of the more difficult budgets I have ever had to deal with," Gwinnett Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks said. "There are so many things you really want to do with shrinking revenue that is foremost on the mind. My concern is next year doesn't look much better."
One of the residents attending the hearing asked if the district would have been in better shape financially if it was allowed to use part of the penny sales tax to pay for operating expenses.
Only one new school, Moore Middle School, will open this fall as the district nears the end of its building campaign funded by the penny sales tax.
Board member Mary Kay Murphy said a more flexible use of dollars from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) could help ease budget concerns if it were allowed by legislators. “We are in a position to make perhaps different decisions than we might have during our period of great and rapid growth," she said.
Under the proposed budget, teachers won't receive raises or step increases, but they might get more pay; three furlough days could be cut to two for next school year, finance officials said.
The average teacher in Gwinnett schools, with a master's degree and three years experience, will earn $55,208 next school year. A beginning teacher, working 188 contract days, would earn $37,609.
The district could save $47.8 million from 650 positions lost through attrition and retirement. A hiring freeze will continue except for critical needs positions, bringing a $4.3 million savings. Classrooms could gain at least one more student on average.
The school board has not recommended a property tax increase for homeowners, despite a $43.1 million or 8-percent decline in the digest.
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