Budget Includes Teacher Pay Raises, Holds Class Sizes Steady

JOHNS CREEK, GA -- At its June 7 meeting, the Fulton County School Board approved the fiscal year 2017 budget, which will include pay raises for teachers and staff for the 2016-2017 school year. 

The school system's new budget year begins July 1.

The approved budget also aims to keep millage rates the same – 18.502 mils – for the FY 2017 year, which means no increase in school taxes for most property owners. Millage rates will be officially adopted later this month.

Superintendent Jeff Rose was ushered into his first school board meeting with the approval of the $1.3 billion budget.

“This is an amazing accomplishment that deserves recognition. I’m proud to be part of the staff that presents this budget to the taxpayers and citizens of Fulton County,” Dr. Rose said. “Having a sound, balanced budget says a lot about the quality of our business processes and the fiscal transparency we provide to our public.”

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The approved budget focuses heavily on employee compensation to ensure that schools are staffed with the most qualified teachers and support personnel, the system said. 

Specifically, a 5-percent raise will be granted to employees paid on the teaching salary schedule and a 3-percent raise is set for all other district staff. Those who teach special education, an area in high demand both locally and nationally, will receive an additional $3,000 supplement to their fiscal year 2017 salary. Eligible employees in the district also will receive a step increase as they transition to the new budget year. 

“I’d like to thank our staff for their hard work in making sure that our district’s priorities are funded and that our employees are financially rewarded,” said School Board President Linda McCain as the budget was unanimously approved.

Sixty-seven percent of the $952 million budget is devoted to instruction, with the remaining 33 percent budgeted for pupil transportation, maintenance and operations and other administrative functions.

The budget also keeps class sizes the same, and does not include any staff reductions or furlough days for employees. Additional highlights include extended work calendars for counselors, social workers and psychologists and funding for flex positions at each elementary school.

Breakdown of the fiscal year 2017 budget:

• General Fund: $952,134,657
• School Nutrition Fund: 42,078,921
• Debt Service Fund: 16,436,834
• Special Revenue Fund: 48,662,890
• Capital Program Fund: 252,489,588
• Pension Fund: 33,231,270
• Student Activity Fund: 16,459,736
• Total All Funds: $1,361,493,896

The pay increases – currently the most competitive of any district in metro Atlanta – continue the school system’s sixth year of providing some level of increased compensation to employees. The budget also aims to keep the millage rate the same for the seventh consecutive year, maintaining the school board’s commitment to low property taxes. At 18.502, the combined millage rate continues to be the lowest in the metro Atlanta area.

In 2013, Fulton County schools adopted a new budgeting approach, called modified zero-based budgeting, that closely aligns funding needs with the district’s priorities. 

The 2017 budget was developed using this process and it required that the budget be developed from the bottom up and based on demonstrated need rather than just approving incremental increases or decreases.

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