001especially in light. He was ecstatic. Think about more questions. I'm waiting for them to give you. Good evening and welcome to the Wednesday, May 14th public hearing regarding our 20126 budget. Uh this is a hearing uh meaning that we listen to you the public. Uh we'll have we'll first have a presentation on the budget and then we will hear from you and thank you all for coming this evening. Okay. Good good evening everyone. I am Paige Kulie. I'm the budget director for Savannah Chattam County Public School System and I'm just going to go over our preliminary budget and what we have so far. This slide shows our objectives and purpose. We're providing an overview of the district's budget planning process which includes a timeline, key actions, and decision-making approach. Um, we like to highlight our
002return on investment that impacts budget decisions. We outline proposed budget priorities and align with the district's strategic plan and student achievement goals. This slide shows the district's strategic priorities and performance objectives. SECPSS is implementing its strategic plan, the way Forward, focusing on four main pillars, students, stakeholders, employees, and stewardship. This is a calendar of our public hearings that are coming up. Last week we had a public hearing. This is our second public hearing on the budget. Tonight on June 11th, we will have two public hearings on the millage rate. The first one will be at 11:00 a.m., the second one at 6 pm, and on June 17th, we will have our third public hearing on the millage rate, which is at u 6 pm on June 17th. This is a chart of our millage rate
003for SECPSS. And as you can see from the chart, the graphs, in fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021, we were at 18.881 mills. We are on a downward trend and currently we are at 17.481 this year in fiscal year 2025. On this slide we show the millage rate comparison with other counties. Um these are some of the larger counties like ourselves on here but we have also included Effingham and Brian County. These are the latest department of revenue millage rates that are have been published which is 2023s and on the right hand side of the slide you can see these are our uh is it it is graph so you can kind of see we are on the lower end um and since then in 2023 we were at 17.631 mills we are now
004have reduced even further down to 17.481 481 this year, but I couldn't compare this year's to others because they have not published that yet. But as you can see, we're one of the lower lower mill rates um in the state. Budget development influencing factors. Some of the factors influencing influencing the budget development are local and state economic landscape, our enrollment which drives the staffing at the school sites, increased cost to sustaining operations, unfunded state mandates which is um our years of experience step our health insurance and different things that we have to pay the state. We have strategic plans. We have um we have historic budget investments and we have the board parent and community engagement. On this slide, we show the general fund forecasted revenues. Our general fund projected revenue increase for this year
005is $45.9 million and that is based on a 10% increase in the tax digest. That is just a estimated amount. We have not received the tax digest as of today yet. So, we are waiting to receive that from the assessor's office. But, um, looking at that, our local tax revenue, if you do a 10% increase in the tax digest, that would increase, um, local revenues by 36.9 million. The state has given us their preliminary numbers for the increases on QBE allotment and that amount has gone up by $9 million. And then federal revenue is an unknown question mark at this time. So we just left it the same. So we are not showing any increase in federal revenues in the general fund. On this slide you can see the general fund forecasted revenues graphed. As
006you can see the local in blue, the state is in red and the federal it doesn't show it all because we don't show any increase in that since we do not know. Um, total general fund projected revenues are at 665.4 million. That is an increase of $45.9 million from this fiscal year to next fiscal year. On this slide, we show the general fund forecasted expenditures. And in here, this is an increase in expenditures from this year to next year of $36.8 million. As you can see, um, we have at the top, I show the restricted use of fund balance for our textbooks. Last year, um, in February of 2024, it was decided that we would, uh, use fund balance to pay for textbook purchases. And so, that number I put in there did, it does
007not figure into the budget, but it is just something we have to remember that we have to pay for. We have state mandates, which includes our teachers retirement rate, which has increased. That's gone up 3.4 4 million. Our state health insurance has increased for next year of 8.4 million. Our personnel staff increase um is 4.2 million. Those are all things that are mandated by the state. Our charter school increase, we're projecting that at 2 million for next year increase opposed to this year. Our other operating which includes a 3% cost of living for the staff is 8.6 million. We have earned an additional 22 FTE teacher positions which is going to cost us 2.5 million. Our enrollment staffing variance is 76 FTE which is going to cost us 5.3 million. Um increase and non- salary
008per pupil aotment to schools. That's the non- salary money that we give out to schools. We're increasing it because of the cost of goods have gone up. That's going to increase from this year to next year by a little over 700,000. We have inc we have increased our vacancy factor by 10 million which means that we are putting $10 million back into it. Um because we have had high vacancy rates and we are figuring on having um extra money due to time lags from hiring from the time someone might leave and it takes to hire a new person and uh just time to find people for the new position for all of the positions we have. So that we've increased that by 10 million. School startup costs have gone down. U Groves, Palaski, and Godly
009Station got startup costs the last two years. They no longer will need them. So we do have some startup cost in for Windsor Forest Time Bloomingdale, but the other three schools have come off. And then central office reductions. Uh central office has reduced cost by 10 million. At the bottom it shows our program improvements uh which includes supplemental retirement option for employees that are not on TRS. That's about 800 a little over 800,000. We have done a market rate adjustment for several different areas and that's all shown there. That's 5 million for the classified hourly 5.6 six 2 million for the administrative principles, APS and directors and 12 million for certificated and teacher staff increases. Um we are also implementing a high dosage tutoring of 250,000 differentiated school support of 750,000 expanded early childhood education
010of 120,000 and pool repairs and operations of 975,000. So, our total expenditure amount is $666 million. Um, on this slide, I'm just showing that we are using with the way the budget is right now with the projections, we would use 1.2 million of fund balance, but I did want to point out that it would have been a positive number, but we did back last year allocate that we would cover textbooks for several years. And that if you put those two together, you can see what actually would have been in a positive balance. And we are looking at possibly some changes to uh moving that money into a u multi-year account um and out of the fund balance for the textbook purchases. That's a possibility. On this slide, we are showing the general fund forecasted expenditures.
011Um as you can see, that's just what we had on before. It's just graphed. We're showing $666 million in expenditures. That includes a projected expenditure increase of 36.8 million and a use of fund balance of 1.2 million. And it's graphed on the slide as you can see each of the areas. On this slide, we are showing the amount of all of the different, not just the general fund, which is what has been talked about in these prior slides, but we're showing what all the fund totals are. The general fund is up at the top. The revenues are at 665 million. Expenditures 666 million. We have debt service. Our capital projects is a big one at 162 million. Um and then on this slide it shows uh special revenue funds which these are our federal dollars
012that which we are so um we really don't know what we're going to get with that but I have included them with the same budgets but with the increase for the salary and cola and the steps. So that's what these figures come to for this slide under special revenue starting with title one and it goes through to this next slide to 600 food services and all of those are um show you the exact amount that we are budgeting by fund. Uh this slide shows our internal service funds which is our workers comp, unemployment and employee dental plan. Um, our total revenues for all of the funds added together is $939.2 million and our total expenditures comes to $941.6 million. And on this slide, we show all of those expenditures, the 941 million point.6 million, and
013it's divided up so you can see the breakout. The general fund is by far our largest at 70%. Um the special revenue funds in red I want to point out those are our federal funds which are the ones that are in question. Um so as you can see that's over hund00 million that we are very we have no idea what we'll receive from that. So that's in question and then capital projects makes up about 17% of our budget and then we have debt service and internal service funds which are less than 1%. Thank you so much. Okay, now we will hear from our public. Uh, first we have Mr. Rick Rooney. Good evening, Mr. Moss, board members, Dr. Watts. Be very short tonight. I uh support the budget as proposed by Dr. Dr. Wats and
014her team. I watched the uh video today and I was very impressed with the presentation, particularly Stacy Taylor's piece on ROI. I think that's amazing work and will make a huge difference going forward. I'm glad to see we're not cutting things prematurely, but we're going to go through the process and evaluate them. Regarding the investments that are proposed for this year, I strongly support the leadership development in the low performing schools, the high dosage tutoring, the literacy education for teachers in the higher grades and uh expanding early education. I think all those things are really important and excellent investments. I also support the uh those compensation things that are basically the implementation of the consultants uh recommendations which make sense and I think are real good to do. Uh today was suggested we hold off
015on the pools until we get the full cost uh and also understand the city county uh commitment to esplots or not esplots but splass funding for that and I think that's a wise thing to do. I think it's too early to make a decision on that until we get all that data in front of us. So, all in all, uh, congratulations on a great effort and I hope this passes as proposed. Thank you. Thank you. Uh, next we have, uh, Deborah Johnson. And if you'll come to this mic and you'll have three minutes. You don't have to. Did you want to speak or you just I'm up here now. [Music] God, I You guys got me on the spot. Um, this is my first meeting, first of all. So, I'm meeting you guys for the
016first time. Um, I'm here because I was interested in what's going on in the school system. Um, I heard on the news about the government funding. So, therefore, I have a fouryear-old that's coming into the 4-year program. I have a 18-year-old granddaughter that's getting ready to graduate from uh Savannah High Early College. So, she's getting ready to go out. I got one coming in. So, therefore, I was just here because I'm interested in what's going on. Uh is the government is going to fund you guys? And if so, how do the budget work? Because I don't know. So, I'm here to learn. I'm glad to be here. And I'm glad y'all here to hear. We're glad you're here. Yes. Uh Dwayne Marshall. Marshall. I didn't speak. I thought that was a sign. Oh god. All
017right. Thank you. All right. And uh now we have Christina Magna. Hi everyone. How are you doing today? Um, my name is Christina Magna and I'm a representative of Migrant Equity Southeast. And I would like to start off by saying thank you all for what you do and being here. I know times are very uncertain, especially with the lack of clarity in federal funding and what you do is not easy. So, so thank you. Um, I would also like to thank you for including some information on how English language learners and their families will be supported in the upcoming budget. However, I would request that there be a little more transparency in exactly how ESOL funds will be allocated and used at each school. We have been told in the past that it is up
018to the discretion of each principal at each school. However, there are some schools in the district where ESL students have had a great experience and are able to excel in class despite learning a new language and are able to learn and be conversational in English fairly quickly. And then on the opposite end, there are students who feel forgotten and in many instances have we have encountered students that have been here for 2 years and still have not learned English. And I would note this isn't necessarily a reflection on the teachers, but rather the administration of those specific schools. We have been told of many cases at several different schools where teachers are hired on specifically with Title 3 funding to be ESL instructors only. And those instructors have told us about being pulled from their
019ESL classes to work as substitutes or to help with preparing with GMASS testing. So then this leaves the ESL students with no instructor for that day. There should be a clear standard of quality education ESL students receive and not just the luck of the draw where they happen to live or go to school. Um there is one point in the budget that isn't quite clear. The part that says increase of media translations as measured by the number of documents translated. Uh so some clarity on what that means would be helpful. uh because all documents and attachments on the school website should be available to families in multiple languages just as the majority of the website is. I would also note that part the part of the website where you go to request to speak in
020front of the board is still only available in English. So anyone who does not speak English would not be able to request to speak or to request translation. I would also note that translations or closed captions in other languages are not available when it comes to the videos um that are available on YouTube sharing recent board meetings or other decision making meetings that the uh district hosts and this is something that could be easily done. Many other school districts and cities in the nation are able to implement this fairly easily using the third party service. Um, I would also like to thank you for addressing the need to improve transportation. Um, as many families know, this has been an issue since before CO and the fact that choice schools do not offer transportation disproportionately impacts
021low-income students whose families may not be able to drive their kids to school for various reasons, um, or can't afford to pay someone to take their child to the their choice school that they would like to attend. Um, so thank you all so much again for what you do. Thank you very much. Do you Did you put your email address on here? I didn't, but I can here. Okay. Do we have anyone else who would like to speak? All right. With no one else requesting to speak, um, we're