GREENE COUNTY
The Greene County Board of Education (BOE) last week voted unanimously to assist Lake Oconee Academy (LOA) with state-mandated raises for teachers, and staff and increased insurance costs.
State mandates are not necessarily funded immediately, and the district will pull from other areas to accommodate funding costs until the funds are received from the state.
Superintendent Dr. Chris Houston and LOA Executive Director Dr. Brad Bowling met several times to itemize funding needs. The board unanimously voted to amend the 2022-23 budget to discuss funding the mandates coming from the state. The board unanimously approved a one-time $520,000 transfer from the 2022-23 budget to aid LOA.
“Having worked the details out with LOA and Dr. Bowling, until they are fully funded by the state, we can do this,” Houston said. “When we go through the funding process, we use the prior year’s allotments. Because LOA runs a year behind in funding from the state, there was no money for them for this purpose. It is important for us to do this and take care of the need to fund our teachers and staff.”
The Board of Education receives 72 percent of its funding from local taxpayers and must accommodate funding requests from the state until funding is received. He acknowledged there will be challenges next year in funding, but both insisted LOA and BOE working together will meet those challenges.
BOE Chairperson Dr. Perry Lee expressed his appreciation and thanks for working with LOA.
“This board has never been against helping LOA, and this shows another way of working with them,” he said.
Bowling also expressed his appreciation for working together.
“I am pleased and encouraged by the diplomacy and positive efforts applied working with the Board of Education,” he said.