COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton County's School Board voted to decrease its part of the overall county millage rate by 8% last week after staff members said they worked to find a middle ground between lessening the burden on taxpayers and providing needed funding for the system.

The board voted 4-1 for the decreased rate which dropped it from 18.288 to 16.788 mills.

The 16.788-mill rate is projected to produce $69 million in local revenue for the 2023 budget — a $7.2 million increase from the amount produced by last year's property tax rate — after the tax digest increased about 21% since last year.  

Newton County's tax digest — the total assessed value of all taxable real property in the county — increased from $3.47 billion last year to $4.2 billion this year.

The board approved a 2023 budget of $217 million that includes a permanent pay increase of $2,000 for all certificated employees and 3% for all non-certificated employees at a cost of $4,456,002 for salary and benefits.

An additional 4% permanent pay increase is included at an approximate cost of $5,369,573 for salary and benefits.

School officials had originally proposed keeping last year's rate of 18.288 mills in place that would have produced $75.25 million, or $13.36 million more in local revenue than last year.

The 16.788-mill rate will produce $69.08 million, or $7.2 million more than last year, officials said.

A full rollback rate of 15.516 mills would have only produced $63.8 million, or $1.96 million more than last year, officials said.

Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey noted she recommended the 16.788-mill rate for a variety of reasons.

She said the system needs to operate in a way that meets the needs of students while remaining competitive with other school systems and the private sector for employees.

"We're losing staff members to other districts where they're paying a lot more money than we are," Fuhrey said.

The state also lowered its equalization grant amount to the school system by $6 million this budget year, she said.

Newton received a much larger grant amount beginning in 2009 during the Great Recession when state officials saw the county's ability to provide local funding drop to near the bottom in the state, Fuhrey said.

However, state officials lowered the amount Newton receives annually as state officials saw the county's economic development efforts improve the local economy and property values increase -- leading them to believe the county's taxpayers were more financially able to take over more of the burden for funding the school system, Fuhrey said.

Fuhrey said a $6 million decrease was the equivalent of losing funding for 100 faculty and staff members because about 87% of the budget goes to salaries and benefits .  

"We had to move that $6 million over to the local side," Fuhrey said.

In addition, property owners were asking the board to roll back the millage rate, she said.

"All of those things are considered in our conversations," she said. "It's just a complicated process."

District 1 board member Trey Bailey said he disagreed with some of the estimates of future revenue produced by a full rollback rate because they likely were lower than what would actually be produced.

He later said "I do understand through the public hearings" that the full rollback rate of 15.516 mills  "may not be feasible this year based on the superintendent's professional recommendation and the work of her team."

But Bailey added he was voting against the the 16.788-mill rate because he would "love to see" a full rollback rate of 15.516 mills.

Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey noted she recommended the 16.788-mill rate for a variety of reasons.

She said the system needs to operate in a way that meets the needs of students while remaining competitive with other school systems and the private sector for employees.

"We're losing staff members to other districts where they're paying a lot more money than we are," Fuhrey said.

The state also lowered its equalization grant amount to the school system by $6 million this budget year, she said.

Newton received a much larger grant amount beginning in 2009 during the Great Recession when state officials saw the county's ability to provide local funding drop to near the bottom in the state, Fuhrey said.

However, state officials lowered the amount Newton receives annually as state officials saw the county's economic development efforts improve the local economy and property values increase -- leading them to believe the county's taxpayers were more financially able to take over more of the burden for funding the school system, Fuhrey said.

Fuhrey said a $6 million decrease was the equivalent of losing funding for 100 faculty and staff members because about 87% of the budget goes to salaries and benefits .  

"We had to move that $6 million over to the local side," Fuhrey said.

In addition, property owners were asking the board to roll back the millage rate, she said.

"All of those things are considered in our conversations," she said. "It's just a complicated process."

District 1 board member Trey Bailey said he disagreed with some of the estimates of future revenue produced by a full rollback rate because they likely were lower than what would actually be produced.

He later said "I do understand through the public hearings" that the full rollback rate of 15.516 mills  "may not be feasible this year based on the superintendent's professional recommendation and the work of her team."

But Bailey added he was voting against the the 16.788-mill rate because he would "love to see" a full rollback rate of 15.516 mills.