Fernbank Science Center Taken Off Chopping Block

is safe — for now.

The DeKalb County School System board of education removed the science center from a line-item list of budget cuts during a work session Tuesday night, according to Channel 2 Action News.

The board is working to cut $73 million from the overall district budget.

would have saved about $4.7 million per year.

Many parents and friends of the Fernbank have been , a resource many consider a valuable asset to education.

“It would possibly revert back to the original owners if we did close it, so we took that off the table,” Walter Woods, a spokesperson for the district, told Channel 2.

The board approved a 1-mill tax increase Tuesday night under the condition the tax would be “rolled back over the next two years until it’s gone.” The tax increase is equivalent to $80 per year on a $200,000 home.

Proposed cost-saving measures include increasing class sizes by one student, slashing 140 jobs from the district central office, cutting $5 million in overtime pay and adding two additional furlough days.

The board needs to approve a finalized budget by June 11.

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