We’ve all been reading about the massive budget cuts for many of the Metro Atlanta school systems. The State of Georgia has cut $1 billion, yes billion, from education over the past year and a half. It’s in all the papers and on the news channels. Fulton County School System just approved a $60 million cut in personnel costs. That equates to approx. 400 support positions and 400 teachers. That is about half of the $120 million deficit it faces. Program cuts like band and orchestra, increasing class sizes, shortening the school year are all under consideration.

Other counties face similar outcomes. The city of Atlanta will cut nearly $50 million. Clayton County will cut over $85 million, Cobb County will have to address a $100 million deficit, DeKalb will fall short somewhere between $80 and $120 million, and the states largest school system, Gwinnett, will need to cut $100 million as well.

What is interesting, and maybe heartening, is we aren’t hearing anything about Forsyth County School System cutting anything. I had a brief conversation with a FCS official and they shared that there will be cuts from the State-we just don’t know how much or how deep those cuts will be. The good news is that FCS is better positioned to deal with that deficit and may be able to minimize staff and teacher reductions through normal attrition and not filling already vacant positions. “We don’t foresee massive layoffs like other counties are facing” was the word from the person I spoke with.

Normally we’ll have the budget from the State by late March but the The State Representatives will stay in session through April so they can look at revenues from March and then determine what the cuts will be. Forsyth County Schools are planning to grow next year by 1800 students. With new construction starts picking up in the County and home buyers targeting Forsyth County because of the Great Schools, that will warrant more money from the State, helping to minimize the budget cuts the School System will face.