Atlanta BOE Faces FY15 Budget Gap of Around $45M

The Atlanta Board of Education Budget Commission convened on Tuesday to hear a presentation from Atlanta Public Schools’ Chief Financial Officer Chuck Burbridge and the news delivered is that APS revenue for the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2015 is going up, but not enough to keep up with expected spending.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that early estimates are that expenses next school year would total approximately $655 million, which is about $45 million more than the $610 million that is projected for general fund revenue.

The revenue estimate is approximately $15 million more than for the current school year. The Board of Education is hoping to approve a balanced budget for the next school year in April.

The Budget Commission consists of board members Matt Westmoreland, Byron Amos, Jason Esteves and Nancy Meister. Its stated mission is to balance the FY15 budget with no need for furlough days and with a “significant” pay raise for all employees.

APS is funded by a combination of property tax revenues and state funding for education.