Downloadable Data Explained - Revenues & Expenditures

The Data Collection Unit within the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) provided GOSA with the fiscal information for the school systems and for the state as a whole. This information is based on several sources of data including the Georgia Superintendent’s Association and GaDOE Financial Review Unit.

 

The following explains the various fiscal data elements:

  • FTE Count: The FTE or full-time equivalent student count is a method of accounting for students for funding purposes. The FTE count for all students is taken two times every school year, in October and in March. An additional count for students enrolled in special education is taken in December. Two FTEs are reported on the fiscal page of the Report Card. One is the actual student count taken in October of each year. The other is a calculation of averaging FTE counts to determine the student count for use in allocating state Quality Basic Education (QBE) mid-term allotment funds to the system. Due to a change in the way FTEs are weighted for funding purposes because of House Bill 1187, these allotment FTEs are not comparable historically to the FTEs reported in earlier Report Cards.

  • Millage Rate: The Boards of Education of most local school systems are authorized by Georgia law to levy taxes on the value of taxable property for the support and maintenance of education. (Some city school systems and one county system must have their millage rates approved by their municipal or county governing bodies, such as the City Council or County Commission.) The property tax levy cannot be greater than 20 mills unless a higher rate is authorized by a local referendum or granted by charter.

  • Value of One Mill: Each mill levied raises 1/1000 of a dollar for each dollar of assessed taxable property valued in the area served by a local school system. The value of one mill is 1/1000 of the net taxable assessed value of property in the school system. State law requires that most property be assessed at 40% of fair market value (for qualifying property owners, the total assessed value is reduced by homestead or inventory exemptions). To ensure comparability among school systems, the millage rate and value of one mill data have been adjusted in four cities that assess property at a different fraction of market value. The value of one mill has not been adjusted to reflect the fee charged by county governments for collection of school property taxes (usually 2.5%) or for property taxes due but not collected.

  • Value of One Mill per FTE: This value depicts the amount that one property tax mill could raise for each FTE student in the school system. The actual amount collected is usually reduced slightly due to delinquent or uncollected taxes and/or to collection fees charged by most County Commissions.

  • Revenues: Revenues depict the number of dollars received by a system from local, state, and federal sources to teach and support the children of the school system. The amount is determined by taking the total dollars received at the system level from local, state, and federal sources. To determine the amount spent per full-time equivalent (FTE), the revenues are divided by the system's fiscal year full-time equivalent (FTE) student counts used to allocate state Quality Basic Education (QBE) mid-term allotment funds to the system.

  • Expenditures: The report includes the number of dollars spent to teach and support the children in the school system. The amount is determined by taking the total dollars expended at the system level. To determine the amount spent per full-time equivalent (FTE), the expenditures are divided by the system's FY10 full-time equivalent (FTE) student counts used to allocate state Quality Basic Education (QBE) mid-term allotment funds to the system. The total dollars expended are split into the following fund accounts: general fund, title programs, lottery K-12 and all other K-12, bonded debt, capital projects, and school nutrition. Each fund is subdivided into the following expenditure areas: instruction, media, instructional support, pupil services, general administration, school administration, transportation, maintenance and operations, renovations and capital projects, school food services, and debt service.

  • Salaries and Benefits as Percentages of Revenues and of Expenditures: The report includes the dollar amount spent on salaries and benefits for teachers and paraprofessionals providing direct instruction, for administrative staff in the schools and for system-level administrative staff. The amount is determined by taking the total dollars expended at the system level.

 

 

Explanation of Calculations of Revenues

 

Code

Type

Funds Included

100

General Funds

200

Debt Service Funds

300, 370

Capital Projects Funds

402

Title I

404

Education of Individuals with Disabilities Funds

406

Vocational Education – Federally Funded

414

Title II

408 – 412, 424 – 499

All Other Special Revenues

570

K-12 Lottery

516 – 559, 580 – 598

All Other K-12

600

School Food Service

Source of Funds

1000 – 1995

Total Local Revenues

2120 – 3200

Total State QBE Revenues

3300

Total State Lottery (K-12) Revenues

3510, 3600, 3800, 3995

Total State Other Program Revenues

4300 – 4900

Total Federal Revenues

5100, 5300, 5995

Total Other Revenues

Explanation of Calculations of Expenditures

 

Code

Type

Funds Included

100

General Funds

200

Debt Service Funds

300, 370

Capital Projects Funds

370

Capital Outlay – Exceptional Growth

402

Title I

404

Education of Individuals with Disabilities Funds

406

Vocational Education – Federally Funded

414

Title II

408 – 412, 424 – 499

All Other Special Revenues

570

K-12 Lottery

516 – 559, 580 – 598

All Other K-12

600

School Food Service

 

Area

Function

Expenditure Area

Instruction

1000 Instruction

Media

2220 Educational Media Services

Instructional Support

2210 Improvement of Instructional Services

2800 Central Services

2900 Other Support Services

Pupil Services

2100 Pupil Services

General Administration

2300 General Administration

2500 Business Services

School Administration

2400 School Administration

Transportation

2700 Student Transportation Services

Maintenance and Operations

2600 Maintenance and Operations of Plant Services

Renovations and Capital Projects

4000 Facilities Acquisition and Construction Services

School Fund Services

3100 School Food Services

Debt Service

5100 Debt Service

Explanation of Calculations of Salaries and Benefits

 

Code

Type

Funds Included

100

General Funds

200

Debt Service Funds

300, 370

Capital Projects Funds

402

Title I

404

Education of Individuals with Disabilities Funds

406

Vocational Education – Federally Funded

414

Title II

408 – 412, 424 – 499

All Other Special Revenues

570

K-12 Lottery

516 – 559, 580 – 598

All Other K-12

600

School Food Service

 

Functions

Objects

Teacher and Paraprofessional Salaries and Benefits

1000 Instruction

110 Teachers

115 Extended Day

117 Extended Year

140 Aides and Paraprofessionals

142 Clerical

191 Other Administrative Personnel

200 Employee Benefits

School Administration Salaries and Benefits

2400 School Administration

190 Other Management Personnel

191 Other Administrative Personnel

200 Employee Benefits

General Administration Salaries and Benefits

2300 General Administration

120 Superintendent

121 Deputy, Associate, Assistant, Area Superintendent

190 Other Management Personnel

191 Other Administrative Personnel

200 Employee Benefits

2500 Business Services

190 Other Management Personnel

191 Other Administrative Personnel

200 Employee Benefits