Metro Area School Districts Face Deficits, Budget Cuts
Nick NeSmith / for WABE
Many metro Atlanta school districts are facing big deficits in the upcoming year, due to shrinking property tax revenue. 
Cobb County school officials are trying to find new sources of revenue to shore up an $86 million budget gap. Board chair Randy Scamihorn says Cobb officials have asked lawmakers to consider relaxing some of the spending limits for the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.Hear the broadcast version of this story.
“What that would do for us is allow us much more flexibility with how we use the money, whether it’s salaries or capital outlay, those kinds of things,” Scamihorn says.
Scamihorn says those talks are still preliminary.
Officials with the Atlanta Public Schools are trying to tackle a $49 million deficit. APS Chief Financial Officer Chuck Burbridge says it’s unclear yet whether the district will need to cut staff or add furlough days.
“One of the goals we had was not to have furlough days, but as we go through the discussions of how do we balance the budget, those are certainly on the table again, but the goal was not to have furlough days,” Burbridge says.
Both districts will hold public hearings before a final vote.
Click the school system below for information about any upcoming school budget hearings:
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