School Board Approves FY 2011 Budget
Reductions, Other Steps Taken To Address $126.7 Million Shortfall

The Cobb County Board of Education has approved a balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2011 that required numerous difficult steps to address a $126.7 million shortfall. The budget gap resulted from a significant drop in the school district’s two primary sources of revenue – state funding and local property tax collections. Since 2003, the state of Georgia has implemented austerity cuts that have reduced funding for Cobb County schools by more than $208 million. Additionally, local property tax collections in 2010 decreased by approximately 10 percent.

The spending cuts and other steps taken to address the $126.7 million shortfall follow a budget year in 2010 that itself required more than $97 million in cuts, including a 2-percent pay reduction for all employees. The balanced budget presented by Superintendent Fred Sanderson and approved by the Board of Education at its June 9, 2010 work session attempts to sustain the highest level of educational service possible under the challenging economic circumstances.

“This has been an extraordinarily difficult budget cycle, the worse I’ve seen in my 35 years as an educator,” said Superintendent Sanderson. “To face this kind of deficit one year after cutting almost $100 million is hard to imagine. Under the circumstances, I believe we’ve presented a budget that takes the most equitable approach to spending reductions. Education is very personnel-oriented, and that means about 90 percent of our budget is represented by salaries for teachers and other staff. To find savings that would help close a $126 million gap, we had no choice but to cut positions, but we did so as strategically and fairly as possible. Cutting jobs is the last thing I want to do, especially in this economy, but following a year where we had already lowered all employees’ salaries, we had no better options.”

In April, the school board conducted a community-wide survey to gauge public opinion on the budget crisis. One item asked respondents to rate various cost-cutting options. Of the more than 21,000 responses, the options that received the most favorable responses included reducing the school year by five days and increasing the millage rate. The option that received the highest percentage of “unacceptable” votes was reducing pay for employees.

The FY2011 General Fund budget anticipates $819,380,347 in revenue compared to $907,469,792 in budgeted revenue for FY2010. The FY2011 budget anticipates $819,376,569 in expenditures compared to $907,466,771 in budgeted expenditures in FY2010.  The budget is based on a predicted enrollment of 105,205 students. Expenditures per student total $7,788, compared to $8,648 per student in FY2010. The approved budget results will not increase the school property tax rate.

Spending reductions and other steps taken to address the $126.7 million
budget shortfall include:

• Reducing 68 central office and support positions ($8.1 million)
• Increasing to maximum class sizes and reducing 636 teaching positions ($47.4 million)
• Avoiding millage rate increase by using SPLOST II excess funds ($23.6 million)
• Five furlough days for all school district staff ($15.9 million)
• Freezing school salary step for all eligible employees ($10 million)
• Reducing 55 school counselor/graduation coach positions ($4.5 million)Reducing 112 custodian positions ($3.9 million)
• Eliminating 100 buses, corresponding routes and driver positions ($2.9 million)
• Reducing high-priority pay account ($2.3 million)
• Restructuring alternative education program ($2 million)
• Reducing Maintenance Department ($1.1 million)
• Reducing 20 Additional Day funding ($1 million)
• Decreasing instructional supply allotment ($1 million)
• Reducing school year by five days ($1 million)
• Increasing transportation fee for field trips ($190,860)
• Parking buses within five miles of first pick up ($75,000)
• Redirecting contributions for dental coverage for all employees ($750,000)
• Reducing to state-allotted sick-leave accrual ($183,000)
• Reducing substitute pay by $10 per day ($799,888)

Increasing class sizes creates the greatest budget cost-savings – as class sizes increase the district needs fewer teachers. Earlier this month, the Georgia Department of Education waived all restrictions on class size to help school districts across the state contend with the economic crisis. In Cobb, where class sizes already were well below the state maximum at every grade level, schools can expect to see classes increase on average by approximately three students. That number is averaged, so some classes may be higher and others lower. As an example, core classes in high school can expect to see class sizes of no more than 35 students.

“This is uncharted territory for our school district,” said School Board Chair Lynnda Crowder-Eagle. “We’re experiencing what so many private corporations have been through in the past couple of years. I am deeply sorry that the budget we approved results in job reductions, but I have no doubt the Cobb County School District will continue to offer the very highest quality education, and our teachers and administrators will rise up to meet this challenge as they always have. Through their commitment, the Cobb County School District will persevere and maintain its reputation for academic excellence.”

Reductions in state and local revenue are the primary causes of the budget gap, but there are other factors that impact the school district’s operating budget. Cobb County tax exemptions are among the most generous in the State of Georgia. Two of the most popular exemptions are the Age 62 Exemption and the Homestead Exemption. Cobb County qualified homeowners who are age 62 or older as of January 1 are fully exempt from school property tax. Qualified homeowners are entitled to a $10,000 Homestead Exemption in the school general tax category. In total, Cobb County tax exemptions will reduce school district revenue by more than $100 million.

The approved FY2011 budget also includes more than $8.7 million in Federal funding from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. Those dollars no longer will be available after next school year.

In September 2008, Cobb County voters approved a five-year extension of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, but SPLOST funds are designated for specific capital projects and cannot be used for day-to-day General Fund operating expenditures. Therefore, SPLOST funds cannot be used to directly offset the $126.7 million General Fund deficit. However, the Board of Education was able to declare more than $23 million from the SPLOST II program as “excess funds”. For a district such as Cobb, state law requires that any excess SPLOST funds be used to lower the property tax millage rate.

Because of the current shortfall, the school board anticipates having to raise the millage rate from the current 18.9 mills to the state maximum 20.0 mills when it meets in July. Declaring SPLOST II excess proceeds equal to 1.1 mills will allow the millage rate to remain unchanged at the current rate of 18.9. The approximate value of the excess declaration is $23.6 million.

Cobb County property owners will see no change in their school property tax rate.

Details of the FY2010 Cobb County School District budget, as well as video presentations from its development, are available online at http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/finance/budget.htm.

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

The Cobb County Board of Education has approved a balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2011 that required numerous difficult steps to address a $126.7 million shortfall. The budget gap resulted from a significant drop in the school district’s two primary sources of revenue – state funding and local property tax collections. Since 2003, the state of Georgia has implemented austerity cuts that have reduced funding for Cobb County schools by more than $208 million. Additionally, local property tax collections in 2010 decreased by approximately 10 percent.

The spending cuts and other steps taken to address the $126.7 million shortfall follow a budget year in 2010 that itself required more than $97 million in cuts, including a 2-percent pay reduction for all employees. The balanced budget presented by Superintendent Fred Sanderson and approved by the Board of Education at its June 9, 2010 work session attempts to sustain the highest level of educational service possible under the challenging economic circumstances.

“This has been an extraordinarily difficult budget cycle, the worse I’ve seen in my 35 years as an educator,” said Superintendent Sanderson. “To face this kind of deficit one year after cutting almost $100 million is hard to imagine. Under the circumstances, I believe we’ve presented a budget that takes the most equitable approach to spending reductions. Education is very personnel-oriented, and that means about 90 percent of our budget is represented by salaries for teachers and other staff. To find savings that would help close a $126 million gap, we had no choice but to cut positions, but we did so as strategically and fairly as possible. Cutting jobs is the last thing I want to do, especially in this economy, but following a year where we had already lowered all employees’ salaries, we had no better options.”

In April, the school board conducted a community-wide survey to gauge public opinion on the budget crisis. One item asked respondents to rate various cost-cutting options. Of the more than 21,000 responses, the options that received the most favorable responses included reducing the school year by five days and increasing the millage rate. The option that received the highest percentage of “unacceptable” votes was reducing pay for employees.

The FY2011 General Fund budget anticipates $819,380,347 in revenue compared to $907,469,792 in budgeted revenue for FY2010. The FY2011 budget anticipates $819,376,569 in expenditures compared to $907,466,771 in budgeted expenditures in FY2010.  The budget is based on a predicted enrollment of 105,205 students. Expenditures per student total $7,788, compared to $8,648 per student in FY2010. The approved budget results will not increase the school property tax rate.

Spending reductions and other steps taken to address the $126.7 million
budget shortfall include:

• Reducing 68 central office and support positions ($8.1 million)
• Increasing to maximum class sizes and reducing 636 teaching positions ($47.4 million)
• Avoiding millage rate increase by using SPLOST II excess funds ($23.6 million)
• Five furlough days for all school district staff ($15.9 million)
• Freezing school salary step for all eligible employees ($10 million)
• Reducing 55 school counselor/graduation coach positions ($4.5 million)Reducing 112 custodian positions ($3.9 million)
• Eliminating 100 buses, corresponding routes and driver positions ($2.9 million)
• Reducing high-priority pay account ($2.3 million)
• Restructuring alternative education program ($2 million)
• Reducing Maintenance Department ($1.1 million)
• Reducing 20 Additional Day funding ($1 million)
• Decreasing instructional supply allotment ($1 million)
• Reducing school year by five days ($1 million)
• Increasing transportation fee for field trips ($190,860)
• Parking buses within five miles of first pick up ($75,000)
• Redirecting contributions for dental coverage for all employees ($750,000)
• Reducing to state-allotted sick-leave accrual ($183,000)
• Reducing substitute pay by $10 per day ($799,888)

Increasing class sizes creates the greatest budget cost-savings – as class sizes increase the district needs fewer teachers. Earlier this month, the Georgia Department of Education waived all restrictions on class size to help school districts across the state contend with the economic crisis. In Cobb, where class sizes already were well below the state maximum at every grade level, schools can expect to see classes increase on average by approximately three students. That number is averaged, so some classes may be higher and others lower. As an example, core classes in high school can expect to see class sizes of no more than 35 students.

“This is uncharted territory for our school district,” said School Board Chair Lynnda Crowder-Eagle. “We’re experiencing what so many private corporations have been through in the past couple of years. I am deeply sorry that the budget we approved results in job reductions, but I have no doubt the Cobb County School District will continue to offer the very highest quality education, and our teachers and administrators will rise up to meet this challenge as they always have. Through their commitment, the Cobb County School District will persevere and maintain its reputation for academic excellence.”

Reductions in state and local revenue are the primary causes of the budget gap, but there are other factors that impact the school district’s operating budget. Cobb County tax exemptions are among the most generous in the State of Georgia. Two of the most popular exemptions are the Age 62 Exemption and the Homestead Exemption. Cobb County qualified homeowners who are age 62 or older as of January 1 are fully exempt from school property tax. Qualified homeowners are entitled to a $10,000 Homestead Exemption in the school general tax category. In total, Cobb County tax exemptions will reduce school district revenue by more than $100 million.

The approved FY2011 budget also includes more than $8.7 million in Federal funding from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. Those dollars no longer will be available after next school year.

In September 2008, Cobb County voters approved a five-year extension of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, but SPLOST funds are designated for specific capital projects and cannot be used for day-to-day General Fund operating expenditures. Therefore, SPLOST funds cannot be used to directly offset the $126.7 million General Fund deficit. However, the Board of Education was able to declare more than $23 million from the SPLOST II program as “excess funds”. For a district such as Cobb, state law requires that any excess SPLOST funds be used to lower the property tax millage rate.

Because of the current shortfall, the school board anticipates having to raise the millage rate from the current 18.9 mills to the state maximum 20.0 mills when it meets in July. Declaring SPLOST II excess proceeds equal to 1.1 mills will allow the millage rate to remain unchanged at the current rate of 18.9. The approximate value of the excess declaration is $23.6 million.

Cobb County property owners will see no change in their school property tax rate.

Details of the FY2010 Cobb County School District budget, as well as video presentations from its development, are available online at http://www.cobbk12.org/centraloffice/finance/budget.htm.

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

Uncharted Territory for Cobb County School District – 2011 Budget is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Yet another happy family moves into East Cobb. 

North Metro Atlanta

Top Schools in the Nation (Newsweek Magazine):

 Garrison Mill Elementary, Mabry Middle School and Lassiter High School

Convenient Lifestyle

A win-win scenerio!!!

This beautiful 4 BR, Traditional home in Westerchester Subdivision in East Cobb is now happily owned by a family from Little Rock, Arkansas.  It didn’t take them long to fall in love with East Cobb and all that it has to offer, from the top notch schools to the convenience of every day life. 

You could be next!!!

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

Another New Family in East Cobb! is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Your East Cobb Realtor would like to share this important information with YOU!

Hammock had weapons on both ends of the field in 2010 as he led the Trojans to the Class AAAAA state finals, an Area 2AAAAA championship and a 17-5 record. He finished his senior year with 60 goals, 56 assists and was among the team leaders in groundballs.

Opposing teams had difficulty slowing him down throughout the season, at least until the state finals, when Milton either double- or triple-teamed Hammock in Lassiter’s 13-5 loss, keeping him scoreless on seven shots.

But up until then, Hammock played a major role in virtually every game and played an invaluable part in Lassiter pulling out many close wins against the state’s top teams.

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal – Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year Trojans keep swinging in Hammock s watch

CONGRATULATIONS TUCKER…AND GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BRIGHT FUTURE!!!

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com 

Lassiter’s Hammock Named Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Lassiter quarterback Hutson Mason turned his senior season into one for the record books as he led the Trojans to a 12-1 record, an undefeated 10-0 mark in Region 6AAAAA play and their first state quarterfinal appearance in team history.

Entering the Class AAAAA state playoffs, Mason had only received scholarship offers from a handful of schools such as Indiana, UAB, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan. That all changed in a hurry when he passed for a single-game state record of 552 yards with eight touchdowns in a 70-49 win over South Gwinnett in the second round of the playoffs.

It was then when several schools from the BCS conferences, including Georgia, Florida State, Mississippi State and Virginia, came calling.

Before his record-setting performance, Mason was already turning heads after a standout junior season. In 2008, he fell 5 yards shy of tying the state’s single-season passing record of 3,705 yards. So, with the writing on the wall heading into 2009, and fans wondering if he could top his previous success, Mason didn’t disappoint.

The 6-foot-3 signal-caller helped Lassiter score 40 or more points nine times as the Trojans averaged 41 per game in 2009. Mason threw for more than 400 yards four times in wins over North Forsyth, Campbell, Milton and South Gwinnett.

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal – Male Athlete of the Year Mason makes it all count in final season

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com 

Lassiter High School QB Named Male Athlete of the Year is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Your East Cobb Realtor would like to share this important information with YOU!

A lot was asked of Brandon Stephens entering the 2010 season.

Already one of Lassiter‘s top pitchers, as well as a standout catcher, Stephens knew he’d contribute. He just didn’t fully know how much.

“(Lassiter) coach (Scott) Kelly talked to me about (pitching and catching) early on,” Stephens said. “He said I’d be doing both, which was nothing new because I had been doing both for a while. But this is the first year I did pitching and catching together, sometimes in the same game.”

The simple reason for Stephens holding down dual roles was because of his importance to the Trojans. The team’s top pitcher, Stephens’ power at the plate was also a hot commodity. He batted fourth in the lineup, delivering clutch hits when necessary

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal – Baseball Player of the Year Dual role doesn t stop Trojan horse Stephens

Lassiter HS Baseball Player Named Player of the Year in Dual Roles is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Your East Cobb Realtor would like to share this important information with YOU!

EAST COBB – Bryant Wright, senior pastor of east Cobb’s Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, has been elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention. As a result, he will lead the Convention’s 45,000 churches and more than 16 million members.

Wright, 57, won a runoff election on Tuesday for the presidency at SBC’s annual meeting at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. He defeated Florida pastor Ted Traylor, winning 4,225 votes, or 55.1 percent, to Traylor’s 3,371 votes, or 43.9 percent, according to the Baptist Press, SBC’s official press arm.

Wright succeeds Woodstock pastor Johnny Hunt of First Baptist Church, who served two one-year terms.

Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal – Johnson Ferry pastor to lead Southern Baptist Convention

Johnson Ferry Pastor to Lead Southern Baptist Convention is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

New Signs that Home Prices May Be Stabilizing

CNBC.com

| 21 Apr 2010 | 12:47 PM ET

A new sign that home prices may be stabilizing—fewer sellers are slashing prices while their homes are on the market.

Twenty percent of sellers slashed prices by an average 10 percent in April, and while that may sound like a lot, it’s a good deal less than the 27 percent who did so in April of 2009, all according to real estate website Trulia.com.

Granted, sellers still slashed a collective $23 billion dollars from their original expectations, but at least the numbers are headed in the right direction.

“Market stabilization is helping to define fair market value, and this helps agents and consumer price better,” says Trulia’s Ken Shuman.

The big question is what will happen when federal stimulus finally exits the housing market, as the home buyer tax credit expires April 30. Increases in foreclosures are already beginning to weigh on home prices, as distressed sales now dominate the market.

Going locally, some of the hardest hit metropolitan markets are now seeing some of the biggest decreases in seller concessions. In Las Vegas, just 13 percent of sellers on the market have slashed prices, compared to 28 percent a year ago. San Diego and San Francisco are seeing comparable trends. On the flip side, Seattle and Denver, which were late to boom and later to bust are still seeing an increase in price reductions.

The average price reduction, again 10 percent nationally, is also changing depending on the market. San Francisco sellers are lowering prices by about 8 percent compared to 13 percent a year ago. But Phoenix, with its huge rate of foreclosure, is seeing prices slashed 13 percent compared to 12 percent last year.

In addition to market stabilization in some metros, the fact also is that sellers, inundated with news of the troubled housing market, are simply more realistic than ever before. Realtors report that more of their clients realize that underpricing will generate more offers faster. Also, those sellers demanding prices of yesterday, are taking their homes off the market to wait out the recovery.

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

New Signs that Home Prices May Be Stabilizing is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Just SOLD!!!  In Westchester Subdivision in beautiful East Cobb, Marietta, Georgia.

Another Happy Couple just purchased a home in Westchester Subdivision in sought after East Cobb.

Here is what they said:

We had the good luck to find Jodi as our agent all the way from Texas.  My husband was being transferred to Atlanta and we really did not know much about the area.  We told Jodi what we were looking for in a house and Jodi went one step further to show us houses in neighborhoods and school districts we would find desirable.  We started off with the MLS searches from Texas and Jodi helped to preview homes and neighborhoods for us that we thought we might be interested in.  In the end, she helped us find a home in a good subdivision and excellent school district.  Jodi worked hard to protect us in our purchase negotiations and represent us while we were in another state.  I don’t know that other agents would have worked as hard as she did for us.  I would not hesitate to use Jodi again or recommend her to anyone for the purchase of a home.

The next one could be YOU!!!

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

East Cobb Realtor Does It AGAIN!!! is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

Just Sold in Beautiful Roswell Georgia

In Lake Forest Subdivision

These First Time Home Buyers found the home of their dreams in sought after Roswell Georgia…

AND

Got to take advantage of the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit

Here’s what they said:

Jodi was such a helpful Realtor during the entire moving process! She helped to make our first home purchase easy and stress-free. We liked how willing she was to talk with us when we had questions, and we felt like she really listened to what we were looking for in our first home. She helped to prepare us for all of the steps towards buying a home with professionalism and ease. Jodi’s knowledge of realty and the markets was very impressive.

Let me help you achieve YOUR dreams too!!!

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com

Roswell Realtor Does It AGAIN!!! is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.

If you live in Atlanta…you already knew it…

Atlanta Among Top 10 Happiest Places to Live

Call or Email me today for all of your Real Estate needs! Jodi Smith, East Cobb Realtor with Keller Williams Realty Consultants.  Helping you find Homes in East Cobb, Homes in Marietta, Homes in Roswell and Homes in Alpharetta.  CELL:  678-763-6025 or EMAIL: jodismith@kw.com 

SMILE!!! ATLANTA Among the Top 10 Happiest Places to Live is a post from: Your East Cobb Realtor®

©2010 Your East Cobb Realtor®. All Rights Reserved.