The Walton County Board of Education recently approved the fiscal year 2023 (FY23) budget of $144,448,880. With a reduced millage rate of 19.87 mills, the FY23 budget includes the lowest millage rate since 2005-06 and the largest mill reduction in 10 years at .961 mills.
To support WCSD staff members and remain competitive in the market, the FY23 budget includes a step and five percent salary increase for all employees as well as market adjustments for select support staff positions. In addition, three steps were added to the top of each salary schedule. Additional school resource officers will be added to improve school safety and provide full-time, individual coverage at all 15 schools. The budget also includes 14 new teaching positions and seven paraprofessional jobs to accommodate for district growth.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to increase salaries for all of our employees and improve the safety of our schools with additional SROs in this year’s budget while significantly reducing the millage rate for our taxpayers,” said Superintendent Nathan Franklin. “The local economy continues to do well as does our student achievement. Our Board members value their role as financial stewards of taxpayer money and have worked diligently to lower the millage rate eight out of the last nine years while maintaining excellent financial efficiency.”
Ninety percent of the total budget is spent on salaries and benefits, leaving only ten percent to cover all other operational costs. The FY23 budget includes substantial increases in operational costs as a result of inflation in energy, fuel, supplies and materials.
The Board approved the budget on Aug. 2, 2022 and held a public hearing for public input on the proposed FY 2023 operating budget at the Walton County Board of Education Central Office on July 26, 2022. The final budget can be reviewed
here.