Schools
School Board Will Advertise for Millage Increase
The Forsyth County Board of Education voted Thursday to advertise for a one-mill increase in the bond millage rate and a 1.185 increase in the maintenance and operations millage rate to help balance the FY 2012 budget.
In a called meeting Thursday, the Forsyth County Board of Education voted to advertise for a millage increase in both the bond and maintenance and operations rates for Fiscal Year 2012.
Local governments are required to advertise a proposed millage increase at least two weeks in advance of setting the millage rates.
Board members voted to advertise for a one mill increase in the bond rate to 2.48 mills and a 1.185 mill increase in the maintenance and operations rate to a rollback rate of 16.58 mills. A rollback rate is a rate that will generate the same revenue as the previous year had the digest not declined.
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Chief Financial Officer Dan Jones presented a five-year history of the school system's finances. He began by saying, "the bottom line is we're $11.4 million in the hole."
The board approved a $263 million budget earlier this month. School officials drew $6.5 million from a federal education grant. "But that still leaves about $5 million that we have to decide how we're going to cover that amount," Jones said.
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The proposed rate increase comes three months after voters approved a special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) for education.
Opponents of a millage increase have said they were mislead by school officials who, while promoting the SPLOST, implied that if the SPLOST did not pass, taxes would have to be raised.
Board member Nancy Roche said, "There is a misconception out there that either you have a SPLOST or you have a tax increase. Whereas, it's really a combination. We don't have a choice. We have to up that (millage rate). We don't control the economy."
After the meeting, board member Ann Crowe acknowledged the miscommunication.
"But it wasn't intentional at all," she said. "We apologize for the miscommunication. I don't think the staff meant it that way."
Superintendent Buster Evans pointed out that advertising the millage rate increase is just the beginning of the process. "This is the starting line," he said.
The board has until Aug. 1 to hold public hearings and approve a final millage rate.
