BOE approves deficit budget, lower out-of-county tuition

The Oglethorpe County Board of Education unanimously approved its proposed budget — at a nearly $3 million deficit — for the 2026 fiscal year. 

“The revenues are projected to be less than our expenses,” BOE Chair Becky Soto said. “We were OK with that because we are able to use our fund balance to cover the difference this year.”

The total revenue is projected at $30.8 million and the total expenses at $33.7 million, according to the budget.

Soto attributed the budget deficit to continually rising expenses, namely health benefits, which the board plans to pay for using the board’s fund balance, or savings. 

Members of the public will be able to comment during three budget meetings before the final vote takes place on June 10.

The board also approved lowering the out-of-county tuition rate to $3,321 per school year, a 1.5% decrease from last year. Despite the lower rate, the overall projected revenue will increase due to more out-of-county students, according to a residency audit.

“Since those people don't live in Oglethorpe County and don't pay taxes in Oglethorpe County, they pay that local share amount for their child to be able to attend school in Oglethorpe County,” Soto said. “They see the value in what we are doing here, and for whatever reason, don't see that value where they are. … I think it's because we have good schools in Oglethorpe County.”

The board also discussed personnel updates, including hiring recommendations, and noted resignations and retirements. 

Superintendent Beverley Levine said the district has a talented set of applicants for openings at each school.

“I will say it's probably the strongest pool that we have seen in a long time,” Levine said. “There's still some positions to be filled and still strong candidates out there that we're considering.”

Many of the applicants are former Oglethorpe County students, Soto said.

“A lot of them are from Oglethorpe County,” she said. “That makes me happy because they want to come back.”

The board discussed other personnel business in a lengthy executive session at the end of the meeting.

In other news, the BOE:

• Approved out-of-state travel for Alex Norris, an IT technician for the Oglethorpe County School System, to receive additional training at PowerSchool University in California in July.
• Was introduced to the Miss Oglethorpe pageant winners.
• Approved Jake Willcox, who represents District 4 on the BOE, to represent Oglethorpe County at the Georgia School Board Association conference in Savannah in June.
• Announced the following end of year honors and recognition nights:
  • May 6
    • Middle School Recognition (invite only), during Connections, OCMS
  • May 13
    • Legacy Walk, all schools
    • Senior Honors Night (invite only), 5:30 p.m., OCHS
  • May 14
    • Top 3/STAR Student Lunch (invite only), 11:30 a.m., OCHS
  • May 15
    • Ninth-grade Honors, 8:30 a.m., OCHS
    • 10th-grade Honors, 9:30 a.m., OCHS
    • 11th-grade Honors, 10:30 a.m., OCHS
  • May 20
    • Fifth-grade Honors, 9 a.m., OCES
  • May 21
    • Third-grade Honors, 8:30 a.m., OCES
    • Fourth-grade Honors, 10:30 a.m., OCES
  • May 22
    • Kindergarten Honors, 8:30 a.m., OCES
    • First-grade Honors, 10:30 a.m., OCES
    • Second-grade Honors, 8:30 a.m., OCES
  • May 23
    • Eighth-grade convocation, 8:30 a.m., OCMS
    • Graduation, 8 p.m., OCHS (rain date: 9 a.m. May 24)