The Oglethorpe Echo
The Oglethorpe County School System’s proposed 2025 fiscal year budget is set to increase by more than $3.4 million from 2024.
Instructional costs represent the “majority” of the rise in expenses compared to this past year’s budget, Board of Education Chair Becky Soto said. These costs include teaching services, curriculum materials and retirement benefits.
Instruction is set to cost the district nearly $21 million in 2025, more than a $2.3 million increase from 2024. As it stands, instructional costs would account for 67.7% of the estimated $31 million budget.
The Board of Education put forth the proposed budget on April 23 and held two public hearings in May. The budget will be on the agenda for approval at the board’s monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 11.
Increased health insurance rates for the district’s approximate 360 employees account for an over $1 million jump in instructional costs. Certified teachers will require a $180 increase per month, while the system’s classified employees will have their insurance increased by $365 per month.
Due to enrollment growth, Oglethorpe County will add four positions this fall. A fifth-grade teacher, a third-grade teacher and two special education teachers will be added to the district’s payroll.
The district will also spend approximately $500,000 on new textbooks and materials that adhere to an updated statewide curriculum for K-5 ELA and mathematics.
The Teachers Retirement System of Georgia additionally increased its employer portion for pension benefits by 0.8%. Escalation by nearly a full percentage point represents a significant increase, Soto said.
In addition to instructional costs, expenses for pupil services, support services and media services are set to jump up by 41.9%, 30.8% and 25%, respectively.
An increase in the budget aligns with an increase in revenues of approximately $3.1 million, which includes a $900,000 withdrawal from Oglethorpe County Schools’ fund equity account.
Costs for general administration are planned to undergo the most significant percentage decrease among all expense categories. A 25.4% decrease from 2024 would largely be due to a downtick in lawyer fees from the system’s recent negotiations concerning the construction of the county’s new elementary school.
System receives grant for propane buses
The Oglethorpe County School System received an EPA grant for clean energy for $100,000 on Tuesday that will go to the purchase of up to four propane buses.
The district will combine this with other funding it has received from the state for the buses, which cost more than $141,000 each, said Paul Thiel, the director of operations for the school system.
“Propane buses run cleaner and are more cost effective to maintain than a diesel engine bus,” Thiel said.
— Staff Report