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Politics & Government

Decatur Schools To Discuss Tax Hike

Budget hearings at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Monday.

The Decatur City Schools will hold public hearings at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Monday on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, including a proposed property tax increase.

The school board plans to raise the millage rate from 19.90 to 20.90 mills. In a press release, the school system said that would result in a $147.50 proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $295,000 with no exemptions.

Another public hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. June 14. The 2011-12 budget with the tax increase will be voted on at 6:30 p.m. June 14. All meetings will be held at the central office at Westchester.

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The system said several factors affected the size of the budget, including an .85 percent shrinkage in the tax digest in fiscal year 2011.Β 

The system also cited the opening of Glenwood Elementary as a K-3 school and Fifth Avenue as a 4-5 academy; adding teacher and paraprofessional positions for exceptional student services because of growing enrollment and the Fifth Avenue academy; absorbing positions previously funded by federal stimulus dollars; assuming full cost of the nursing program because the partnership with DeKalb Medical ended; and giving a 1.25 percent pay raise to employees.

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