Tax levy will benefit the Gilchrist County School District

By Carrie A. Mizell

Residents of Gilchrist County will see on their November tax bill a quarter mill tax increase, which was recently passed by the Gilchrist County School Board.
After much consideration, superintendent Don Thomas recommended the tax levy after it was determined that the Gilchrist County School District would soon be operating with $1.4 million less than the 2008-09 fiscal year.
However, he did point out that the budget shortfall is not as bad as district officials first feared, thanks in large part to $850,000 in federal stimulus funding.
“It’s been a difficult decision,” Thomas said. “On one hand I understand that taxpayers are hurting, but we’ll be able to fund eight or nine more teachers.”
According to Damon Leggett, property appraiser for Gilchrist County, the quarter mill tax increase will generate an estimated $176,300 for the school district at an estimated cost of $20 or less per taxpayer.
The Gilchrist County School Board has tentatively approved its budget for the 2009-10 fiscal year at $28,580,563.54.
Thomas pointed out that the largest expenditure the school district has is instruction, which totals $12,758,599.67. Thomas also said that the school district has 60 less employees than it had two years ago. The cut in teachers means that students can expect larger class sizes for the upcoming school year. Administrators are also picking up the slack as the schools continue sharing assistant principals in both Bell and Trenton.
“The cuts we have made have been strategic,” Thomas said. “Our administrative team sat down and said, ‘Okay, where will this least affect us?”’
The superintendent said that while the federal stimulus money will be helpful in bridging the gap this year, the funding is short term and only guaranteed for the next two years; so the school district will have to be very careful with how the money is spent.
“We have to plan in advance for that,” Thomas explained.
The superintendent said that school district officials are currently picking apart the budget to see what can be reduced or eliminated. One thing that has changed for the upcoming school year is that the school board will no longer carry accident insurance for students. Families can buy this insurance, but it will be costly. Thomas said the school board still carries catastrophic insurance, if something terrible were to happen. But all students participating in school sports will now have to show proof of insurance, or buy it to take part.
No cuts have been made to programs, Thomas explained, but if the economy does not come back before the stimulus money goes away, then school district officials will have to look deeper, which means a cut in programs maybe in the future.
Long-term effects from the shortage in funding include the fact that the school district is behind schedule in replacing its budget, one-third of which needs to be replaced. Thomas said the district has also not been able to give teachers the raises they deserve.
The superintendent said that Gilchrist County is very lucky to have great teachers, which is reflected in the academic success the school district has had over the years.
“Gilchrist County is the only school district in the state that has had all A’s and B’s for going on 10 years,” Thomas said. “No other district has that kind of consistency.”
Thomas is worried that the loss of funding at the state level may trickle down and adversely affect students’ academic success. With 64 less employees, Thomas said getting the same results will be a challenge.
“We want to make sure that the kids going through school now are getting the same quality of education as the kids who have gone through the school system in the past,” Thomas said. “We have to keep the same level of quality with a lot less money … it’s going to be difficult.”
The superintendent said that it always hurts to lay someone off, especially with the economy in the shape it is currently in.
“We know families are hurting,” Thomas said. “That’s why we tried to do most of our cuts thorough attrition.”
The Gilchrist County School Board will hold its final budget hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 15.