Floyd County, Rome school boards call separate budget meetings for Thursday
♦ The panels set separate meetings for Thursday.
Both city and county school boards announced called meetings for Thursday to begin the process of approving the budget for the upcoming school year.
The Floyd County school board’s meeting will begin at 8 a.m. at the central office at 600 Riverside Parkway to vote on the 2021 school year’s tentative budget.
Rome City Schools’ board meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be held via Zoom. In additional to the budget the board will discuss a public relations contract proposal, graduation ceremony status and a school start up recommendation.
The county meeting will be followed by a series of public hearings. The first hearing is scheduled for July 13 at 11:30 a.m. and the second public hearing is scheduled for July 13 at 6 p.m. The third public hearing will be held at 7:45 a.m. followed by the regular monthly board meeting at 8 a.m.
There weren’t any surprises when the state finally passed its budget two weeks ago after reconvening the legislative session, Floyd County Schools Superintendent Jeff Wilson said.
Revenue for the Floyd County school system is down around 12.5% — approximately $92 million — which came as a combination of several factors. The decrease stems from across the board state cuts, reduced student populations and the loss of tax money following the closure of Georgia Power’s Plant Hammond.
The school system is expecting to see more losses in years ahead, Wilson said, but recent expansions — for instance, the Ball Corp. — may soften that blow.
Rome’s school system cuts came in at just 10%, said Rome Superintendent Lou Byars.
The losses are less than originally expected after cuts originally proposed, and later rolled back, by Gov. Brian Kemp. The governor originally told all state departments to plan for a 14% budget but. However, he later reduced the amount after more favorable sales tax numbers came in.