Decatur Schools Call for Tax Hike to Hire Staff
May 9, 2008 | 10:41 amThe AJC reports that CDS wants to raise the millage rate by 1 mill (about an $100 increase on a $200k home), after 4 years of declines, so they can hire more staff and give them a pay raise.
Here’s the full text…
While DeKalb County school officials consider possibly laying off staff, Decatur city school officials next year may actually add positions — but they also want to raise residents’ taxes.
A proposed $37 million general fund budget will go next week before city school board members for preliminary approval, and includes a 1 mill increase in owners’ property millage rates.
The increase equates to about $100 more in property taxes on a home valued at $200,000. This is the first city school millage increase after four years of rate reductions. The new rate clocks in at 19.90 mills. By comparison, the rate in 2004 was 20.24, but had declined to 18.90 as of this year.
The proposal comes as the system, now with 2,500 students, grew by about 100 children. It adds three new fourth-grade teachers, two new kindergarten teachers and new middle-school Spanish and choir instructors. For existing staff, it also includes a 2.5 percent pay raise in addition to a 3 percent “step” increase.
Step increases are a salary supplement based on years of experience. DeKalb officials originally proposed not giving county staff step increases, but school board members have suggested cutting some positions in order to restore them.
Annoyed about rising taxes? Don’t forget to first direct your anger at DeKalb County over HOST or get vocal on commercial annexation before taking CDS to task.
Is there actually a home in Decatur valued at $200k? Hello? 1991 called, they want their press release back.
But seriously – expect more of this in the future. Decatur is THE intown destination for every intown household that is starting a family and suddenly putting a priority on school quality. Atlanta and Dekalb county schools are not up to par, so the mass migration of yuppie couples from Midtown, Candler Park, Va-Highlands, Emory’s environs, etc. will continue.
We are going to start hearing conversations about re-opening one of the old elementary schools, too.
There are plenty of condos in Decatur worth around $200k (and falling) and those people don’t have kids in school.
And I didn’t know that there were problems with great schools like Morningside and Mary Lin in Candler Park? It is unlikely that people who actually live in those neighborhoods are moving to Decatur, but that Decatur is now a viable alternative to homebuyers looking to buy in those neighborhoods.
Oh, one more point about the re-opening of elementary schools. Even though enrollment at DCS has leveled out after years of declining enrollment and is growing a little bit for the first time in years (100 new students last year), without annexation it is unlikely that a new school would be neccessary for a long, long time. Most of the current schools are operating at below capacity. The numbers just don’t add up to where they were when there were 3 more elementary schools in operation.
I’m not so sure about “most of the current schools are operating at below capacity”, not the elementary schools anyway – Glennwood, for example, is getting, ahem, “learning cottages” next year. I also have heard that there are a record number of kindergarteners entering the system in the fall, so yeah, I’m already hearing speculation that the eventual reopening of either Fifth Ave. or Westchester is inevitable.