Georgia school systems will not be spared funding cuts forced by the state’s $1.6 billion budget deficit, and Northwest Georgia school administrators cite frustration as they look for ways to trim.

"This is not the first time this has happened," said Carol Shanahan, assistant superintendent of finance and business at Dalton City Schools.

"There is kind of a sinking feeling, but we do have children to educate," she said. "We will do the best we can. Cuts will be made as far away from the classroom as possible."

Gov. Sonny Perdue on Aug. 1 called for a 2 percent reduction in K-12 education spending Aug. 1.

It is part of a strategy to deal with the deficit resulting from a year of sluggish revenue collections that has already forced the state to use $600 million from the reserve fund.

The cuts to schools though, are less drastic than the 6 percent budget cuts Gov. Perdue has ordered from most other state government agencies.

While the 2 percent cut in state education spending is Gov. Perdue’s proposal, Northwest Georgia educators are waiting to see how the state school board deals with the issue and stress that the situation is still up in the air.

“We have not received revised state allotments, so we do not have official documentation of the total dollar amount of the overall cuts,” Phyllis Copeland, director of financial services for Walker County, said in a prepared statement.

Statewide $171 million in cuts from K-12 education spending is needed, and schools Superintendent Kathy Cox plans cuts that could gut programs like teacher mentors and graduation coaches, according to The Associated Press.

More doing without

For Walker County and Dalton City schools, the state cuts could mean about $1 million less than they had expected to support their systems’ budgets, officials said.

Attempts to get comment from Catoosa County school officials about the pending cuts were unsuccessful for this story.

Whitfield County School officials said their system might be out $1.6 to $1.8 million more in funds.

“We expect this state-mandated decrease in funding will be tacked on to the series of austerity reductions that have been handed down by the state since 2003,” Kenny Sheppard, chief financial officer with Whitfield County Schools, said in a prepared statement. “Before this news came out, we were expecting a cut of about $821,000. If the legislature approved the proposed reduction, that cut will grow to about $2.5 million.”

Since 2003, Mr. Sheppard said Whitfield County has been cut more than $14 million from the amount the state’s funding formula should have provided in funds for the county schools.

Ms. Copeland, director of financial services for Walker County, said for each of the past six years, the system has seen more than $2 million cut from state funding. That was until this year, when some reductions were restored temporarily.

“Now the cuts may be greater than before,” she said.

where to trim

Most school systems put the majority of their funds toward teacher salaries, officials said.

State officials said the 2 percent funding cut will be directed to several areas, but area officials said it will really be up to the local systems to decide what gets cut or if jobs are lost.

Ms. Copeland said the first cuts will be items like field trips, in order to preserve current staffing levels.

Dalton’s school system has money set aside for bad times, Ms. Shanahan said. So far, they will be able to absorb the cuts with the system’s fund balance.

But new hiring has been frozen, except to add teachers to meet state-mandated classroom size requirements, Dalton officials said.

Chickamauga City schools Superintendent Melody Day said she was prepared for reductions, but news of pending cuts puts even more of a strain on the system’s budget. Like most other administrators, she said cuts will be made as far away from the classroom as possible. Ms. Day said it is not an option to let teachers go.

Walker County Superintendent Melissa Mathis said the proposed reduction could not come at a worse time - right after personnel are hired and school has started.

"It is ever more difficult for us to face disappearing revenues and increasing costs," Ms. Mathis said in a prepared statement.

"I do not know why we would locally be able to find a solution to meet our needs - including improvements, keep a strong fund reserve while facing rising fuel costs and increased bus ridership - and cut funds when it appears that cannot happen at the state level in an effective and timely manner."