The Buford City Schools Board of Education adopted the district’s FY 2023 operating budget at its monthly meeting on July 18, 2022, at the Central Office.
The 2023 budget saw an increase of just over $4.4 million or 9% compared to the previous year’s operating budget. The total expenditures for the 2023 operating budget come to $70,953,051.21.
The bulk of the money in the budget is dedicated to paying the salaries of teachers, administrators, support staff and other positions within the school system. Salaries account for 88% of the general fund budget for Buford City Schools. The budget for salaries increased by nearly 10% due to raises and a cost-of-living adjustment of 3%, as well as new hires.
The budget saw funds being allocated for hiring three additional school resource officers so that each school building, including all three buildings at the high school, would have an officer assigned to it.
As the school district has continued to grow, the need for transportation has also grown. The transportation department’s general budget has increased by 35.54%, while its budget for buses has increased by $234,000. This brings the total spent on buses for the 2023 school year to $690,000.
Both Buford Middle School and Buford High School have been allotted additional funds to further expand their Career and Technical Education programs. BMS will receive an additional $11,000 to share between CTE programs and the theater department, while BHS will get a $15,000 increase to the CTE department’s budget for 2023.
The Buford City Schools Fine Arts Department has seen the most significant growth with the addition of a new high school orchestra program and the band department’s increase in participation. The new orchestra program will receive $32,000 to help start the program and purchase all necessary instruments and materials needed. The band’s growth in student participation has required an additional $50,000 to be allocated for band equipment, bringing the band department’s 2023 equipment budget to $200,000.
Within the 2023 budget, there are some areas seeing a decrease in expenditures. In 2022, there were funds set aside for roof and HVAC replacements/repairs, as well as land improvements, totaling $560,000, which are not being renewed for the 2023 budget. More than $90,000 will be saved in the 2023 budget as the school does not need to purchase new kitchen equipment.
In 2023, the school district will be spending $12,062.74 on each student at BCS. This is higher than the state average for expenditures per pupil of $10,893.
