Catoosa Planning Tax Hike for Schools, Realtors Told

Superintendent Tells of New Elementary, Middle Structures

  • Saturday, August 16, 2003
  • Irby Park
Participating in the Chattanooga Association of Realtors (CAR) Legislative Breakfast in Catoosa County were, from left, Steve Champion, CAR president; Jason Farmer, legislative chairman; Mrs. Beth Kellerhals, Catoosa schools superintendent; Mrs. Jane Everett, School Board member; and Frank McDaniel, president of CAR's Northwest Georgia Council. Click on photo to enlarge.
Participating in the Chattanooga Association of Realtors (CAR) Legislative Breakfast in Catoosa County were, from left, Steve Champion, CAR president; Jason Farmer, legislative chairman; Mrs. Beth Kellerhals, Catoosa schools superintendent; Mrs. Jane Everett, School Board member; and Frank McDaniel, president of CAR's Northwest Georgia Council. Click on photo to enlarge.
photo by Irby Park

Completion of the re-assessment of property in Catoosa County shows significant growth in the county and may result in a tax increase for schools less than previously anticipated, according to Schools Superintendent Beth Kellerhals.

Mrs. Kellerhals and Jane Everett, School Board member, discussed what is happening with schools in the county, a planned hike in the tax for schools and the planned addition of two new schools in the next two years during a “legislative breakfast” at the County Courthouse Annex.

The breakfast was sponsored by the Chattanooga Association of Realtors (CAR), its Legislative Committee and the Northwest Georgia Council of Realtors.

Mrs. Kellerhals, this year’s Georgia Superintendent of the Year, said Catoosa County schools enrollment this week was 9,938 and is expected to top 10,000 this month, ranking it as one of only a few mid-size school systems in the state. Most systems are much smaller and a handful, such as Atlanta, are large systems.

With the growth in the system, she continued, developing the budget provided several challenges, one of which was the state’s “austerity reduction” program which cut $1 million from the schools budget for fiscal year 2003 and is cutting another $1 million in the present year. The school system budget is about $85 million.

Because the schools were not notified of the cuts until mid-year, “we had to make some major adjustments,” she said, and working on the budget for this year has required looking at an increase in the tax for schools.

She said public forums were held and the community “said very strongly” that they did not want to cut school programs and “do what is needed to maintain the current level.”

Initially it was thought that an increase of 2.9 mils would be needed to maintain the educational level, but a final determination was waiting for figures from the tax assessor on the property re-assessment.

The re-assessment figures have just been provided and with “a lot of growth” in the county, it appears the increase “won’t be that much,” she added. Catoosa’s current tax is 15.25 mils, the lowest in the North Georgia area.

She said the board will look at the numbers from the tax assessor’s office and determine what will be needed. A public meeting will be held, she said, and the tax rate is expected to be decided by Sept. 1.

Catoosa County, she said plans to add two new schools in the next two years, Wood Station Elementary in the northern part of the country in August 2004 and Heritage Middle School at Poplar Springs Road and Tally Circle in 2005.

The county has a penny sales tax dedicated to capital outlay for schools and the school system has no debt from school construction. She said that “has been a lifesaver” in providing buildings and equipment for the system.

There has been significant growth in the Wood Station area with more anticipated which called for a new school.

The new middle school, she said, will take some students from the 1,300 at Ringgold Middle School and some from the 1,100 at Lakeview Middle School to reduce the strain on the two existing schools.

The board is also looking at the need for another high school. “We anticipate substantial growth” in the county, she said, and “we’re trying to meet the needs of student enrollment that growth creates.”

With the growth already experienced and more expected, it is projected that by 2023 the county will need about 20 new schools.

In Catoosa County, Supt. Kellerhals said, the system spends $5,800 per child per year for education with about $1,500 coming from local contributions. The rest of the funding is part of the partnership between federal, state and local governments. The average tax bill in the county is between $600 and $700, so “you can see the difference between the cost per child and the tax bill.”

Schools in Georgia have been fortunate, she said, in the amount of state support. In many states, she added, it’s about a 50-50 split, but in Georgia it has been about 60-40, state to local contribution. However, that’s beginning to even out with the latest state cuts.

As for money from the lottery, she said, grades K through 12 receive none of the funds. It all goes to pre-school and to college scholarships. But the state funding of pre-kindergarten programs “is paying off” with students that are “very well prepared for school” when they enter.

Asked if there was any concern about a Tennessee lottery causing a reduction in the Georgia program, she said there are “a lot of factors and I don’t see that happening.” She said people are moving to Georgia and the area is growing because “folks are happy with the quality of life,” with the school system and lower taxes.

Mrs. Everett said they learned in the public forums that people moved to the area for the schools and there was no indication the lottery played any part in it.

As for the HOPE Scholarships free to Georgia students who maintain an acceptable grade average, Mrs. Everett said, “We may have to re-evaluate who gets HOPE Scholarships.’
She added, “It should be an investment in Georgia. If you put people in a freshman program who are not college material,” they likely will not succeed.

Asked about the new No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal law, Mrs. Kellerhals said overall the county schools had exceeded the beginning minimum requirements for a plan to have every child “at grade level” by 2014. “All of our schools far exceeded the beginning bar level set for academics,” she added.

NCLB requires 60 percent of the students to be at their grade level in reading and language and 50 percent in mathematics.

“We only learned in recent weeks of the other criteria in addition to academics.” These included attendance rate, high school completion rate and 95 percent of students taking the assessment test.

One elementary school, which scored 78 percent in reading and 84 percent in math, failed to meet requirements with more than 15 percent of the students missing more than 15 days school in the past year. A middle school with high academic marks failed because less than 95 percent were tested.

There was also a problem with the high schools not meeting some of the requirements other than academics, but that is being looked at. One problem is in areas where families move in and move out and students who start the ninth grade are not there to graduate.

Mrs. Everett said the schools have several programs to keep the faculties, parents and students informed. There is a superintendent and teachers roundtable held on a regular basis as well as a PTA-PTO Council quarterly meeting. Information also goes out to all parents.

“We don’t see problems,” she said, “we see challenges” and schools work to meet those challenges. The schools, she continued, “get tremendous support” from the community. Catoosa schools have developed a mentor program with some 300 volunteers coming into the schools to mentor students on a one on one basis regularly.

That doesn’t count all the other volunteer hours and dollars put back into the schools by the community.

Next week, she said, the schools and community will be looking at “the attendance challenge” and seeking suggestions from the community as to “what you suggest we can do about it.”

In the two high schools, Mrs. Everett said, “we have just established student advisory committees” so that issues may be presented to those groups for consideration and the advisory groups can express their concerns to the board.

Jason Farmer, chairman of the CAR Legislative Committee, said the legislative breakfasts have been sponsored quarterly. This was the first for North Georgia, but he said it would not be the last.

He said Realtors showing homes find they are most often asked about the schools. The Catoosa County system has put together a “resource sheet” on schools, government and other information which will be furnished to Realtors.

Mr. Farmer said having such information on schools and the community “makes our job so much easier.”

This is the new Wood Station Elementary School scheduled to open in August of 2004. Click on photo to enlarge.
This is the new Wood Station Elementary School scheduled to open in August of 2004. Click on photo to enlarge. photo by
Real Estate
Noon Development Celebrates Newly-Renovated East Ridge Medical Building Opening
Noon Development Celebrates Newly-Renovated East Ridge Medical Building Opening
  • 3/21/2024

Noon Development celebrated the official opening of the East Ridge Physicians Building this week with a ribbon cutting hosted by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. Noon Development ... more

Chattanooga's Million Dollar Homes
  • 3/21/2024

208 West Brow Oval 4 bedroom, 3 bathrooms, 2,737 square feet, on a 0.65 acre lot The sale was to Anne Miller W Young, Wesley Young from William A Ii Montgomery, Heather A Biebel $1,150,000 ... more

Real Estate Transfers For March 14-20
  • 3/21/2024

NOTICE: The Hamilton County Register’s Office did not publish this data. All information in the Register’s Office is public information as set out in T.C.A. 10-7-503. For questions regarding ... more