Pressure on local school boards to come up with an increasingly larger share of funding for public schools was touched on for the third time in four months during member organizations’ activity reports at the monthly meeting of the Eatonton-Putnam Tourism, Arts, and Heritage partnership (EPTAH).
At the state capitol, where state funds come mainly from income and sales taxes, there may be some chest thumping over cost-cutting and a current “surplus,” some of which has been designated for extra refund checks to income taxpayers.
But at the county level, the major source of local operational funding lies in property taxes, though a significant, but smaller amount also comes in the education sales tax devoted to capital expenses like buses and buildings.
“The pressure is on, without a doubt,” School Superintendent Eric Arena told the other directors and members of the EPTAH board. “We are going to do everything we can, not to have a tax increase.”
In January and February, school board Chairman Steve Weiner had warned of increases in employee health insurance coverage mandated by the state – retroactive to Jan. 1 in the middle of the current budget year – yet only partially funded by the state at about 35-40 percent of the increase.
The school board’s per-employee share has thus jumped from about $12,000 a year to close to $19,000, with the employee kicking in a smaller monthly amount, depending on the choice of coverages, Arena explained in a separate interview.
The school board is now the largest employer in Putnam County with just over 500 employees, split about 50-50 between certified (teachers, administrators) and classified employees (bus drivers, secretaries, para pros, custodians).
Another problem may lie in the legislature’s continued use of the Quality Basic Education (QBE) funding formula 38 years after its 1985 passage.
One example of the local impact is QBE paying toward one employee in each county’s accounting function. Over the years Putnam County administration offices now have 5.5 such employee slots for receiving incoming funds and paying the bills.
Putnam now has nurses in each of the five schools and, after COVID, a sixth head nurse. Under the QBE formula, the state this year will pay Putnam $63,661 toward its costs.
Fragments of other activity report to EPTAH include: The coffee shop for the Georgia Writers Museum will be dubbed “Sylvia’s,” with a motto of “Unnaturally Good Coffee.” (Lou Benjamin, art chairman)
A possible postponement or reduction of resurfacing projects due to rising asphalt prices and competition for paving contractors.
“Cherokee County had a $25-million package, and they did not get any bids,” said Putnam County Commission representative Commissioner Alan Foster.
Putnam Development Authority director Matt Poyner said there may be as many as three announcements of new industries over the next three or four months.
Tytan’s Jim Stone touted the June 3-4 state championship bike races here in conjunction with the county’s Dairy Festival. The races over county roads are expected to draw 300 competitors and up to 600 dedicated bike-racing fans.