At its Thursday, June 12 meeting, the Clarke County Board of Education gave final approval of a balanced fiscal year 2026 General Fund budget of $254,945,221 that continues to invest heavily in the district’s three anchor priorities of Thriving Students, Optimized Talent, and Connected Culture. This will mark the first time in several years the district will operate on a balanced budget without having to use monies from its reserves.
The board also voted to maintain the district’s current millage rate of 18.8 mills for the fourth consecutive year. The new fiscal year begins July 1.
The final approved budget is a roughly $13.2 million increase over FY25, more than $8.5 million of which comes from unfunded state mandates – including increases in the amount of employee state health insurance and teacher retirement system benefits costs covered by the district. It also includes $1.1 million for 17 additional school resource officer positions, $133,000 in salary and benefits for a new sustainability coordinator position, $1.3 million in annual pay step increases for all eligible employees, and $1 million in deferred maintenance at schools and district facilities.
CCSD will continue its focus on enhancing school safety and security based on feedback from board-led community conversations, building leaders, and Family Advisory Board meetings. Three of the 17 SRO positions will be sworn (armed) officers, giving the district patrol team additional coverage, while the remainder will be unarmed and stationed at each of the district’s 14 elementary schools to focus on building relationships with students and families and help ensure a safe and secure learning environment. These additions will give the district a total of 27 unarmed officers and 17 armed officers.
The addition of the sustainability coordinator position stems from the recommendation of a board-approved advisory committee that began meeting in January 2024 and submitted its final report to the board and district this spring. The committee included a combination of BOE members, teachers, students, district staff members, Athens-Clarke County and University of Georgia representatives, and community members. Once hired, the coordinator will be charged with leading the district’s enhanced sustainability efforts which will focus on improving environmental impact, resource efficiency, and overall sustainability in alignment with industry best practices and fiscal responsibility.
The district will have a projected fund balance (reserves) of approximately $55 million, ensuring that about three months’ worth of operating expenses would be on hand in the event of an emergency, natural disaster, or other unanticipated events and keeping the district in line with best practices.
Due to continued growth in the county’s tax digest, there is an expected increase of 6.46% for property taxes levied in 2025. While the millage rate will remain the same at 18.8 mills, this will result in an increase of overall property-tax collections by 1.141 mills. Some property owners will see a school-tax increase on their tax bill, and some may not – depending on their property’s assessed value in 2025 compared to 2024. Reassessment notices with estimated tax amounts were sent out by the Athens-Clarke County Tax Assessor’s Office in May.
More information on the FY26 budget and millage rate is available here.