Gwinnett County Public Schools will be adding two more students per classroom to make up for the fact that the school system will be doing without nearly 600 employees -- most of them teachers -- next year.
A tentative 2013 budget, unanimously approved by the school board Tuesday night, calls for leaving vacant 585 jobs where employees are retiring, resigning or transferring.
The move, which is projected to save $43 million, is just one of several that the state's largest school system is taking to deal with the economic perfect storm pounding public education: underfunding from the state, falling local property tax collections and the end of federal stimulus money to bridge the gap.
The system plans to have its fourth year of unpaid furloughs, as well no step or cost of living increases.
"It's a scary time," school board chair Louise Radloff said. "With the cuts that the General Assembly have given us in all categories, it is one of the most difficult years we have ever experienced. I understand what the economy is doing, but we've got to prepare our kids for the next generation. And it's critical that we be able to do so with adequate funding."
The proposed general fund budget for next year will be $1.205 billion. That's down $60.6 million from the current year or about $405 per student in the system of 162,370 students.
Gwinnett has few options but to cut spending, particularly when raising property taxes isn't really an option. The system has to adhere to a 20-mill cap on property taxes for maintenance and operations and is holding for the eighth straight year its 19.25 millage rate.
Donna Marie Aker, a math teacher at South Gwinnett High School and the president of the Gwinnett County Association of Educators, said teachers are both frustrated and sympathetic.
"We know there's no more money, we understand that," Aker said. "And we know our school board and superintendent are doing everything to be fiscally responsible."
But teachers are stressed, she said.
"Our paychecks keep going down," she said. "It's like, if one more shoe drops, what's going to happen?"
The budget calls for most employees to have two unpaid furlough days in the fiscal year that starts July 1, a move projected to save $10.4 million. That savings will be offset by higher employer costs for health care for bus drivers and other "non-certificated employees," costing the district $11 million more than last year.
Superintendent Alvin Wilbanks said he knows some of the cuts are hard to take.
“We’d love to eliminate the furlough days, give the step increases, but we just cannot afford to do that,” he told the board just before its unanimous vote.
Rick Cost, the school system's chief financial officer, said the system was facing a projected $89 million shortfall for 2013, based, in large part, on a continued decline in property values, which in turn, means lower property tax collections. This year, values are expected to fall by 7.5 percent, a loss to the district of $36 million in taxes.
For Fiscal 2013, the school system also won't have federal stimulus money, which helped to balance the current year's budget, Cost said.
Sloan Roach, school system spokeswoman, said the district is currently processing 430 retirements, as well as "normal end-of-the year employee resignations and transfers."
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UPCOMING ON BUDGET
Two public hearings are planned at 7 p.m. May 10 and at 6 p.m. on May 17 in the board room at the school system's instructional support center.
May 17 marks final adoption of the budget and tentative approval of the millage rate. This takes place at 7 p.m. on May 17 in the instructional support center.
Final adoption of the millage rate -- which is slated to stay the same -- will be in June at a date not yet set.
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