Glynn County Schools: Governor's bonus gap forces $1.48 million use of fund balance in FY27 planning

Miss Cody, the district presenter on finance, told the Glynn County Schools board that three April budget amendments altered the district's fiscal picture: a $12,000 decrease tied to an RHA literacy grant, an $8,000 decrease for a mental-health grant, and a governor's bonus that increased recorded revenues by $2,865,100 while increasing expenditures by $4,341,700. "So, as a result of that difference between the expenditures and revenues, we were required to use $1,476,600 of fund balance," Miss Cody said during the presentation.

The district reported year-to-date revenues at 87.1% of budget and expenditures at 80.6%. Staff noted March sales-tax receipts received in April totaled $3,418,568.64, a 10.21% increase from the prior year. Miss Cody said staff adjusted the property-tax digest growth projection from 5% to 6%, which generated about $133,300 in additional revenue for planning purposes.

Staff also described a net general-fund picture for the proposed FY27 baseline: total estimated revenues of $21,491,300 against projected expenditures of $23,161,500, producing an estimated shortfall of $1,525,200. To cover part of the governor's bonus shortfall staff said they would use roughly $1.48 million of fund balance and continue to monitor revenues and expenditures as the budget process moves toward year-end close.

Board members questioned transportation assumptions and departmental increases. Miss Cody said departmental budgets were increased by another $200,000 primarily because of transportation costs, explaining that staff modeled an additional $300,000 increase for next year after raising the category previously by $100,000. Board members also asked whether propane buses saved money; staff said the fleet still operates several propane units but the fuel and lifecycle costs have not produced reliable savings to date.

On state school funding, staff explained recent QBE allotment updates and count methodology. The presenter said a drop in FTE counts and an increased five-mill share deduction together accounted for a roughly $1.46 million decrease in the district's QBE allotment versus earlier estimates. Staff noted that some categorical grants also decreased, and that transportation allocations are computed from a single-day hand count and annual mileage survey.

Next steps: staff said they will close the books next month with adjustments for year-end and finalize the FY27 tentative budget, continuing to bring updates to the board as figures are confirmed.