BOE Meeting
Balancing Act: Clarke County Schools Face Budget Crunch Amid Rising Expenses
By Olivia Roth
Chris Griner, chief financial officer for the Clarke County School District, prepares to present the fiscal year 2027 general fund budget to the Board of Education during a meeting on April 2 at the district’s administrative offices in Athens, Georgia. (Photo/Olivia Roth)
ATHENS, Ga., April 2, 2026 — The Clarke County Board of Education approved a series of financial and policy items Thursday night during its meeting while also reviewing an early proposal for the district’s fiscal year 2027 budget.
Board members gave unanimous approval to employee contracts and personnel reports, along with several financial items, including the district’s February financial report and the fiscal year 2025 audit. The audit came back clean, with no findings, showing the district met all financial reporting standards.
The board also adopted an altered policy outlining its duties, prioritizing governance.
The majority of the meeting consisted of the 2027 general fund budget presentation, which identified over $260 million in expected revenue and expenditures. Chief Financial Officer Chris Griner said the budget reflects increasing costs in areas including employee salaries, health insurance and retirement contributions.
The district predicts a $6 million increase in spending in comparison to the year before. Employee costs have contributed to the increase. Health insurance expenses are expected to grow as well, along with required funds within the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia.
“There’s always what we call unfunded mandates from the state, so we contribute to our employees’ health insurance, and that number is determined by the state. We have no control over what that amount is, so it’s continually going up each year,” Griner said.
The budget also includes a raise for employees and additional benefits. Some benefits include a raise in retirement money and an expansion in salary scales.
Griner said the district projects a 6% property tax increase but also noted that state legislation conversations could affect this. The district plans to keep its previous millage constant at 18.8 mills.
Board members raised concerns about declining student enrollment and its potential effect on future funding, as well as the district’s fund balance, which is projected to remain below recommended reserve levels.
“If you look at it, it’s about 2.8% somewhere around there… enrollment itself has probably got maybe one or 200 students total. Just the housing situation here in Clarke County drives a lot of that,” Griner said.
Griner added that the district maintains reserves to handle unexpected changes in revenue or state funding.
“I think the biggest misconception the public has is how much we have in fund balance. We really only have a little over two months. Our average expenditures are about $20 to $21 million a month. So that $51 million fund balance isn’t as large as people think,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Griner said the district expects to balance the budget once final tax revenue numbers are confirmed later this spring.
“What we presented tonight was unbalanced because the board had asked for a couple things, so it’s about a $1.4 million use of reserves that we would like to balance. I feel like we’ll get there,” he said.
