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Fulton County Schools has been working on the upcoming budget for several months. This report is part of a series of updates leading up to the Board of Education’s final vote later this spring. This update focuses on the forecast for the 2025-26 General Fund, which is the district’s main operating budget and impacts how we fund day-to-day operations across our schools.
Fiscal Year 2026 General Fund Revenue Forecast
The preliminary forecast for FY 2026 projects a 2 percent increase in net revenue. While we expect taxable property values to rise and bring in more local tax dollars, inflationary costs and increased mandated spending are outpacing revenue growth this year.
Primary Revenue Constraints
Several key factors are creating financial pressure on the budget:
- A projected decrease in student enrollment, which reduces state funding
- Proposed legislation that would expand homestead exemptions
- Ongoing uncertainty regarding the amount and timing of federal funding
These challenges make it more difficult to balance revenues with rising costs.
District Cost-Saving Measures
To responsibly manage these challenges, the district has already taken the following steps as we develop the budget:
- Adjusted certain employee supplements
- Reduced positions in the central office
- Applied a 5 percent cut to departmental non-personnel budgets
- Eliminated the elementary school program at the Fulton Academy of Virtual Excellence (FAVE)
- Launched an ongoing review of vendor contracts to identify potential savings
Additional adjustments may be made as the budget process continues.
Budget Development Timeline
The FY 2026 budget and final expenditures will be presented and considered following timeline and key dates below:
- Special Revenue Presentations – April 17, 2025
- Capital Improvement Program – April 17, 2025
- Superintendent’s General Fund Budget – April 24, 2025
- Salary Hearing #1 (if needed) – May 6, 2025
- Public Budget Hearing #1 – May 6, 2025
- Salary Hearing #2 – May 13, 2025
- Public Budget Hearing #2 – May 13, 2025
- Tentative Budget and Tentative Millage Rate Adoption – May 13, 2025
- Millage Rate Public Hearings #1 and #2 – TBD (if necessary)
- Final Budget Adoption – June 10, 2025
- Millage Rate Adoption – TBD
Opportunities for Public Engagement
Community input is a vital part of this process. There are several ways to share your feedback:
Your voice helps ensure the district’s budget reflects the priorities of our students, families, and staff.
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