Brookhaven, Chamblee School Board Reps Oppose Tax Increase

Brookhaven's and Chamblee's school board members have gone on record as opposing a 2-mill tax increase that could plug a $73 million gap in the system's budget.

Nancy Jester and Paul Womack both opposed the increase, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Jester's District 1 includes , and schools. Jester shares with Womack's fourth district.

The tax increase recommendation came after a budget was tentatively approved last week that includes $44.5 million in cuts and layoffs.

Late last week, a committee recommended an additional $17.5 million in cuts that includes closing . However, removed the facility from the chopping block.

Supporters of the center have started online petititons to save it. It’s unclear who started the petitions, but many parents and supporters have been vocal on the Save Fernbank Science Center Facebook page and local blogs.

Read the Dekalb County Board of Education: Save Fernbank Science Center petition here.

The Save Fernbank Science Center! petition is available here.

The district spends about $4.7 million to operate the center and pay 56 full-time employees.

The center, which includes a museum and planetarium, offers hands-on education about animals and planets to about 160,000 school children and visitors each year.

A public hearing on the budget cuts will be held Wednesday, May 30, at 6 pm, and Patch will be covering the event live.