School officials said they plan to increase taxes this year by 8.24 percent and have also cut positions to balance the upcoming budget.

For the owner of a $100,000 home, the proposal represents an increase in school taxes from $467.34 to $504.84 , Catoosa County Tax Commissioner Sandra Self said.

Superintendent Denia Reese said increasing costs and decreases in state funding are reasons the school system needs to increase the millage rate from 15.578 mills to 16.828 mills. A mill represents $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of property value.

In addition to raising taxes, the school system has also turned down the opportunity for partially funded middle school graduation coaches, cut two central office positions, eliminated additional planning time that high school special education directors had hoped to get, and laid off five elementary Spanish teachers since the state eliminated that language program.

“We’re preparing for the opening of Heritage (High School in 2008),” Reese said. “It’s a tremendous job opening this high school, so we are making sure we are using our funds extremely wisely.”

What it means

Owners of a $100,000 home with only standard exemptions will pay school taxes of $504.84 this year compared to $467.34 last year, an increase of $37.50.

Source: Catoosa County Tax Commissioner Sandra Self

This year’s budget does not include operating expenses for Heritage High, but does include several additional increases. Additional costs in employee pay raises, health insurance, maintenance and operations will increase the budget $3 million from last year, officials said.

“Along with increased expenses, the school system continues to be affected by budget cuts from the state of Georgia called ‘formula adjustments,’” Reese said. “For the sixth year in a row, the system’s state earnings have been decreased by these formula adjustments.”

She said the system will lose nearly $1 million in state funds in the upcoming year. The total funding cuts for the past six years are more than $9.3 million, she said.

Last year’s budget was $107.28 million, but it included about $14 million associated with education special purpose local option sales tax (E-SPLOST).

This year’s proposed budget of $96.56 million doesn’t include the sales tax funds, but it anticipates the system will draw an additional $3 million from local property taxes. This will be the first time in three years the board has asked to increase the millage rate. The tax revenue has become greater over those years though because of growth and inflation.

Self said she doesn’t know how much the homeowner’s total tax bill will increase because not all local government entities have set or proposed their millage rates for the upcoming year.

Three public hearings will be held before the school board votes on adopting the new millage rate on Aug. 7 at 7 p.m.

Public hearings

What: Raising the property tax millage rate from 15.578 to 16.828 mills

When: July 31 at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Aug. 7 at 6 p.m.

Where: Catoosa County Board of Education boardroom at 307 Cleveland St. in Ringgold



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Why the increase?
* State funding cut by nearly $1 million

* Overall operational and personnel cost increases since opening Woodstation Elementary and Heritage Middle

* Increasing fuel, electricity, maintenance and operation expenses

* Greater employer contributions to employee health insurance

* Additional teachers


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