FY26 Budget, New Legislation on Wheeler BOE Agenda
Following the last of its three required public hearings on June 23, the Wheeler County Board of Education adopted its FY26 budget — with a $70,000 surplus. The budget anticipates $15,263,230 in revenues, $15,193, 349 in expenditures and projected equity of $3,094,993.
The bulk of the budget will address salaries for system employees, at a total of just over $8 million; with an additional $4.2 million allocated for benefits, including health insurance.
A state-mandated increase in benefits for noncertified employees has pushed insurance costs for local school systems higher. The good news is that the state QBE funds, projected at $9. 2 million for the Wheeler system in FY26, will help underwrite local costs.
A chart supplied by the Georgia School Superintendents Association, which Superintendent Dr. C. Alex Alvarez shared with Board members, compared the current proposed benefits rate increase, based on Governor Brian Kemp’s FY2026 budget, to costs in FY2011.
In 2011, per person, per month (PPPM) insurance rates for certified personnel were $912.61, and $218.20 for noncertified personnel. The FY26 proposal increases these PPPM rates to $1,885 for both certified and noncertified personnel. From FY11 to the proposed FY26 rates, an increase of 106% has been incurred for certified employees; for noncertified employes this rate has jumped by 764%.
Since 2000, Georgia’s State Health Benefit plan (SHBP) has undergone several adjustments in employer contribution rates that significantly impacted school budgets. In FY24, the state budget for K-12 public schools increased by $1.2 billion from FY23, with $840 million allocated to cover rising SHBP costs for certified school employees. In FY25, an additional $242 million was designated to fund the state’s share of SHBP increases for certified school employees.
Governor Kemp announced plans to raise public school employer contributions to the SHBP, increasing the rates from $1,760 to $1,885 per member per month (PMPM) for certified personnel, and from $1580 to $1885 PMPM for noncertified personnel, effective at the beginning of FY26.
School Safety, Cell Phones During the called session on June 23, Dr. Alvarez shared additional information concerning changes in state law that affect all school systems across Georgia, including an emphasis on school safety in the wake of the tragedies at Apalachee High School in Barrow County last September after two students and two teachers were killed. The $37.7 billion state budget for FY26 allocates $108.9 million in state grants to help local school systems pay for safety improvements on their campuses with $47.9 million earmarked for student mental health programs. The budget provides $62 million for Student Support Services. Of that total, $19.6 million will go toward hiring mental health counselors for middle schools and high schools, and $15 million in additional one-time pilot funds will go to school districts to help low-income students.
House Bill 268 (School Safety) requires schools to procure mapping data by July 1 to be shared with state and local agencies (SB17); mandates timely transfer of student records when a child in state custody is enrolled, requiring all relevant educational history to be shared within 5 school days; requires all schools 6-12 provide one hour of suicide awareness and prevention training and one hour of youth violence prevention training.
The bill also mandates that school safety plans include provisions for addressing the behavioral health needs of students and staff members. By January 1, 2027, each safety plan must include a behavioral threat assessment management process to identify and mitigate potential threats. The bill also requires systems to implement a progressive disciplinary process which may include transitioning students to remote learning when there is a credible threat of violence.
HB 81, which is related in purpose to HB 268, enters Georgia into an interstate compact for school psychologists to facilitate the interstate practice of school psychology and improve the availability of school psychological services to schools. QBE funding was increased by $871,982 to fully fund the school psychologist ratio at 1:2420.
Another new piece of legislation Superintendent Alvarez pointed out is HB 340 (Distraction Free Education Act) which resulted in the ongoing development of a cell phone/ electronic device procedure and a policy draft to be fully implemented at Wheeler County Schools by July 2026. Elementary, middle and high school principals and staff were involved in devising the cell phone/electronic device procedure, which was shared with Board members on June 23 and will be implemented on August 1, 2025. HB340 mandates that students shall not be permitted to access personal electronic devices during the school day. A student whose individualized Education Program (IEP), Section 504 Plan, or medical plan explicitly mandates the use of a personal electronic device for medical or educational purposes shall be permitted to access the device as necessary to fulfill the requirements of the respective program or plan.
“For Wheeler County Middle High School students, our primary focus is to protect instructional time to utilize it to effectively enhance the learning environment. While we understand the students may opt to bring cellphones, electronic devices or headphones to school, it is crucial that they comply with all regulations,” the procedure states.
Cellphones are not required at WCMHS; however, if students bring them, they should not be seen, heard or utilized in the school environment/ campus between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:10 p.m. The school has a right to confiscate any personal electronic devices and lack of cooperation is a violation of school code and will warrant disciplinary action. These terms also apply to school field trips that occur during the school day.
The proposed procedure was presented as information to the Board and no action was taken; however, once adopted, the procedure in its entirety will be posted on the district website.
