Habersham schools close fiscal year with stable revenue

CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — Habersham County Schools closed the 2026 fiscal year with stable local revenue sources and a clearer picture of how the district’s general fund was financed and spent, according to a financial report approved Monday by the Board of Education.

The board approved the June 2026 financial report without objection. The report had been tabled at the board’s July meeting while district staff completed the fiscal year-end closing process.

Chief Financial Officer Staci Newsome presented the report, which included several new charts designed to give the board and public a clearer picture of where the district’s money comes from and how it is spent.

Newsome said 61% of the district’s general fund revenue comes from the state’s Quality Basic Education, or QBE, allotment. Property taxes account for 19%, while the local option sales tax contributes 10%.

State grants account for 4% of revenue, title ad valorem taxes account for 3%, and real estate, intangible property and alcohol taxes account for 1%. Federal and other local revenue make up 0.6%, while interest earnings account for 0.5%.

“Again, this just gives you a big picture of where the money actually comes from,” Newsome told the board.

Property tax collections totaled $20.18 million for the fiscal year, compared with approximately $20.1 million the previous year. Title ad valorem tax collections totaled $3.05 million, essentially unchanged from the prior year.

The district received $10.85 million in ESPLOST revenue, compared with approximately $10.6 million the previous year.

Newsome said the local revenue sources remained “very stable” overall, with little growth.

Real estate and intangible tax collections increased to $627,312 from approximately $516,000 the previous year, while alcohol sales tax revenue declined slightly to $400,725 from $455,000.

Newsome also presented a new breakdown of general fund expenditures.

Instruction accounted for 71.95% of general fund spending, followed by maintenance, operations and safety at 11.56%, student transportation at 7.41%, administration at 7.11% and central and other support services at 1.97%.

In dollar terms, instruction and instructional support accounted for approximately $79.8 million, maintenance and operations accounted for $12.8 million, transportation for $8.2 million, administration for $7 million and central and support services for $2.1 million.

Newsome said the district’s new presentation combines certain support functions with instruction because those services ultimately support classroom instruction.

“They may not sit right in front of the child, but if you don’t have them, you don’t have it,” Newsome said.

The report also included a five-year look at ESPLOST collections.

Newsome said ESPLOST revenue jumped between fiscal years 2021 and 2022 after Georgia began collecting sales tax on online purchases. Since then, she said, the revenue has leveled off.

The most recent two fiscal years show ESPLOST collections tracking closely from month to month, which Newsome described as “very stable and solid revenue.”

The district also reviewed how ESPLOST VI funds have been spent.

Bond payments account for 60% of ESPLOST VI expenditures, followed by facility renovation, infrastructure and equipment at 15.71%. Technology hardware and software account for 7.97%, instructional support and software for 7.68%, safety and security for 6% and school buses for 2%.

Newsome noted that the district has five bond payments remaining, totaling approximately $15 million.

“You know, we all talk about our mortgage payments,” Newsome said. “Five more, yay! But that’s still $15 million. Let’s keep it in perspective.”

The financial report comes as the district begins its new fiscal year. During the FY2027 budget process, Newsome projected approximately $104.8 million in general fund revenue against $105.6 million in expenditures, with about $770,000 expected to come from fund balance.

The district’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30.