DECATUR, Ga. — The City Schools of Decatur Board of Education approved their tentative 2027 budget.
At its May 12 meeting, the board approved a tentative budget of $134.7 million for the 2027 fiscal year.
“The FY27 budget is intentionally aligned with the district’s strategic accelerators and approved budget priorities to ensure that financial resources directly support the district’s long-term goals while maintaining fiscal responsibility,” Dr. Lonite Broome, CSD’s Chief Financial Officer, said in a statement. “The budget development process has been comprehensive, deliberate, and transparent, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and stakeholder engagement throughout each phase.”
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
TRENDING STORIES:
- Woman who ran homes for at-risk youth accused of funneling money for drug-dealing boyfriend
- Powerball: $1 million ticket sold at Georgia food mart
- Salem High School evacuated for threat investigation
What’s in the budget
The board announcement said it included a minimum 3% cost of living increase for all teachers and staff, as well as a one-step compensation increase for eligible employees.
Discussing the new budget, Decatur school officials said expenditures were expected to go up about $6 million, a projected 5% increase compared to last year.
The district said that was mainly due to increased salaries and employee benefits.
On top of the cost of living increases, the budget includes an increase in the district’s employee healthcare budget as well as a boost to the Georgia Teacher Retirement System contributions, investments in early childhood education, instructional reserve and salary increases for bus drivers and school managers for kindergarten to second grade.
What you need to know before they vote
The Decatur school board will hold two public meetings about the budget before final approval is voted on.
The meetings will both be held at the Wilson Center at:
- May 19 at 6 p.m.
- May 27 at 11 a.m.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
