The Haralson County Board of Education met on Monday and discussed the proposed budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year, which could possibly include a raise in the millage rate.

Director of Finance Vince Fulghum presented the proposed budget to the board during their regular meeting on June 2. Interim Superintendent Macy Defnall addressed the board, stating that an increase in the millage rate may be necessary for county schools to continue their growth in academic achievement.

According to Fulghum, the projected operating reserve for the next fiscal year has a reserve of $654,014 and an operating budget of approximately $30.9 million in general fund revenues. This leaves the reserve at 2.1 percent of the general fund, but, according to Defnall, the reserve should be at least 10 percent of the general fund.

According to Fulghum, a millage increase will likely be needed in order to have a balanced budget.

“This increase is about 3.5 mills,” Fulghum said. “Where we are is the result of where we’ve been for the past several years.”

The current rate, 13.5 mills, is the lowest rate when compared to other counties, and in 2006 there was a millage rollback. An increase of 3.5 mills would equate to an additional $150 in taxes on a $100,000 house per year, or approximately $12 per month, and generate more than $2 million for county schools.

“In order to keep pace and keep our budget out of the red and also grow our reserve, it’s going to be a necessity,” Defnall said.

Defnall noted that over the past two years the school system has added nurses and assistant principals to all the schools, as well as art, music and physical education classes, and have significantly increased the graduation rate.

According to Defnall, the county’s high school graduation rate will break 70 percent this year, up from a low of approximately 50 percent. According to the Georgia Department of Education’s Web site, Haralson County High School’s graduation rate for the class of 2005 was 52.2 percent.

“We’ve been able to move a tremendous amount of achievement in two years,” Defnall said. “In order to keep that progress moving forward and keep moving in the right direction, we can’t keep doing what we’ve always been doing, and that’s not raising our millage rate.”

“I’m not a proponent of raising taxes,” Fulghum said. “But the benefit of having a higher millage rate when you get into the situation, when you have more than you need, rollbacks are an option.”

Throughout June the board will be meeting to discuss the budget, with a final version being approved by mid July at the latest.