Fulton Schools: Budget Cuts Would Have No Impact Now

With federal budget cuts likely taking place today, the Fulton County School Board is anticipating cuts in funds it would receive next year, but will see no impact in the immediate future.

"Fulton County Schools will see no financial impact right now, but anticipates a change in some federal funding received for next school year (if sequestration does occur)," said Susan Hale, Fulton Schools spokesperson. "This has been anticipated and any proposed cuts to personnel or services funded by federal funding will be considered during the FY2014 budget planning process."

The school board will adopt the next budget in June. In this year's budget, it received $663,779 in federal funds for its general fund, which was a 23 percent reduction from the previous year, but less than 1 percent of all general fund revenues.

Nationwide, these spending cuts in schools would likely have the most impact on Head Start programs, which would be cut by about $398 million, says the National School Boards Action Center (NSBAC), which is working to convince Congress not to implement the education cuts. Head Start provides services to some $70,000 low-income children.

"Congress and the Obama administration must act now to alleviate these cuts to education before school districts have to issue pink slips and inform parents that vital programs and resources are going to be cut,” said Thomas J. Gentzel, the National School Boards Association’s Executive Director, in a press release. “These new federal cuts to education will push back the progress our school districts have made in student achievement. School districts are going to have to make difficult choices as they develop their budgets for the next school year, and for years to come as the cuts continue.”

See accompanying video for more on the NSBAC's stance on the budget cuts.

Tell us: Are you concerned about the impact federal cuts would have in Alpharetta and Milton schools? Tell us in the comments!