School District Seeks Security Improvements, Faces Potential Loss in State Funding
The Charlton County School District is currently facing a major challenge, trying to find the balance between school safety needs and potential funding concerns. Like districts throughout the state, Charlton County Schools would like to increase preventative safety measures and add mental health services in its schools in response to the school shooting in Winder, GA earlier this month. Numerous school districts in Georgia already have metal detectors in place, and Charlton County finds it critical to implement similar measures for the safety of our students. A major obstacle to this goal, however, is funding, as the school district could potentially lose significant state funding in the near future due to a Georgia law regarding school millage rates for property taxes. The law requires school districts to levy an effective millage rate of 14 mills to remain eligible for equalization grant funding. Equalization funding currently provides $1.8 million annually to Charlton County Schools.
The rollback millage rate for Charlton County schools for 2024 is 12.718, well below the 14 mill threshold required to continue receiving equalization funding. Failing to meet the 14 mill threshold would result in the loss of $1.8 million in equalization funds. To avoid losing these funds, the school district is planning to keep the millage rate the same as it was in 2023, which is above the rollback rate and would be approximately a 7% tax increase.
Losing $1.8 Million in state funding would make implementing significant security upgrades nearly impossible, but it would also require extensive cuts in programs, services, and school staff in order to balance the budget. A review of the budget and the impact this loss of funding would have on the district reveals that major personnel cuts (24 positions) would be required. Additionally, potential elimination of programs such as Pre-K, and limiting technology and equipment purchases would be needed. Finally, at least 7 furlough days would be required to bridge the gap in funding. Furlough days would be damaging academically and economically, as students would lose over a week of instruction, while teachers and staff would lose a week and a half of income in this scenario.
School board members have kept school taxes stable for years in spite of inflation and rising costs, with school tax collections increasing by less than 10% over the last 15 years. Continuing that trend appears to no longer be possible, as the need for safety upgrades and the potential catastrophic loss of state funding leaves the school board with few options.