The Atlanta Public Schools board voted unanimously Monday night to approve a $1.85 billion budget for fiscal year 2026, closing a $100 million gap through a combination of central-office cuts and an 11% salary increase for teachers — the largest single-year raise the district has approved.
The vote was 9-0.
“This is the budget we promised our families when we started this process. It protects classrooms, it raises teacher pay, and it doesn’t pretend the fiscal cliff isn’t real.”
— Eshé Collins, APS board chair
What the budget does
- $1.85 billion in total spending across the general fund and capital budget
- An 11% salary increase for teachers and most school-based staff, effective July 1
- An additional $45 million in direct spending to schools, focused at the elementary school level
- An additional $26 million for employee benefits and $8.8 million for staff pay raises
- $19.8 million in reductions from administrative spending, including the cut of at least 135 positions from APS’s central office
How they closed the gap
The district entered the spring budget cycle facing a $100 million shortfall, the product of rising special-education costs, expiring federal pandemic-era funds, and slower-than-expected enrollment growth, according to a March budget memo from the district.
The board closed the gap through:
- $19.8 million in administrative reductions, including the central-office cuts
- $45 million in reallocation toward schools from other categories
- A combination of federal and state reimbursements for transportation and special education
- Hold-the-line budgeting on most non-classroom line items
What the central-office cuts mean
The cuts target 135 central-office positions, including vacant posts and jobs in finance, human resources, and information technology. The board said the cuts will be carried out through attrition rather than layoffs, and that no school-based staff will lose their jobs as a result of the budget.
“Every cut we made is a cut to administration. None of these cuts are in schools.”
— Bryan Johnson, APS superintendent
What’s next
The board also signaled Monday night that it would begin work this summer on a universal free-meals program that would extend free breakfast and lunch to every APS student regardless of household income. That program, which is expected to be brought back to the board for a final vote later this month, is the largest single change to the district’s nutrition program in a generation.
The board will revisit the FY2026 budget in October, when updated enrollment numbers and state QBE funding estimates become available.
Marcus James covers the Georgia statehouse and Atlanta city hall for WACN 21. Reach him at mjames@wacn21.com.
