The board on Tuesday discussed the unpredictability of how much revenue the state will be allotting the system for the fiscal year.
"If you want to know what they're doing at the state level, I can tell you that nobody knows what it will look like or what the impact will be," said board Chairman Dr. James Pope. "It's a catastrophe."
Superintendent Kent Edwards said there is "a lot of uncertainty" about what will transpire, but he did not sound optimistic about what could happen.
"We think we're either going to receive the same amount from the state as we did for this year's budget, or that number's going to fall," Edwards said.
The board members were not given any concrete numbers for how much might potentially need to be cut from the budget.
Board members were concerned that the change to ad valorem taxes on vehicle sales, going into effect on March 1, could affect their revenues.
Assistant Superintendent Mike Sanders said the change to the tax has the potential to be significant, but it won't be until about a year has passed that the school board will notice the change in a dollar figure. Sanders noted that the sales tax piece of the ad valorem tax change could be significant starting immediately, however.
For the FY13 budget, the board had to raise the millage rate by two mills. For that budget, Edwards said he was trying to maintain three priorities: the class size, system employees and the 180-day calendar.
The board on Tuesday elected its officers for the calendar year, with Pope remaining as chairman, David Godwin taking over as vice chairman and Dr. Jason Mount as treasurer.
Godwin replaced Greg Dothard as vice chair, and Mount replaced Joe McGinnis as treasurer.
McGinnis nominated the three eventual winners of the election, with Mount voicing his desire to run against Pope for the chairman seat.
The vote between Pope and Mount was 5-1, with the majority going to Pope.
Edwards also shared the amount of money the system received from SPLOST in the month of November, totaling more than $270,000. Edwards said that number is within $700 of the previous year's figure, and that the numbers seem to be trending up, just as they did in early 2012.
Also during Tuesday's regular board meeting:
• The board recognized a family that Edwards said "has become synonymous with Carrollton City Schools" — the family of the late Charlie Grisham, a former football coach for nearly 30 years.
Two of Grisham's sons, as well as his daughter, were present to receive plaques from the board, commemorating their service to the system, in a recognition which Edwards said was "long overdue."
The family contributed a record $8,000 to an endowment to the system that now totals $65,000. Also, the family started the Charlie Grisham Scholarship in 1999, the year Grisham passed away, which has given 14 students more opportunities after graduating.
• The board recognized the CCS Educational Foundation, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary next month.
"They are always building their net worth," Edwards said. "And now they have more than a half-million dollars — money they use to endow many scholarships. But they also have a large endowment for special education students, which not a lot of people remember."
Educational Foundation chairwoman Melanie McLendon received a plaque from the board, saying, "There are times when you roll out the red carpet for us, and we appreciate that so much. It's an honor to work with you all."
• The board also unanimously approved the election qualifying fees for the upcoming board member elections.
To qualify to run for a seat on the board, potential candidates will pay $108, or 3 percent of the members' salaries.
That percentage has remained the same for the past several years, Edwards said.
The seats occupied by board members McGinnis (Ward 2), Mount (Ward 3) and Godwin (at large) will be up for election.
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