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Fulton Schools budget proposes pay increase as worker pool declines
Pro Rodeo Finals kick off in Alpharetta
District’s 2023 budget reaches $1.12 billion
By JAKE DRUKMAN jake@appenmedia.com ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Even as the heat of the day dissipated with the setting of the sun, excitement left moods anything but cool at the Wills Park Equestrian Center May 5. The National Cowboy and Pro Rodeo Association kicked off its three-day Rodeo Finals at the equestrian center Thursday evening, drawing in hundreds of spectators. The Pro Rodeo Association’s Finals draw in some of the world’s top rodeo performers, men and women alike, each competing to be named the association’s world champion for the year. Dozens of contestants from across the country competed in classic competitive rodeo sports like breakaway roping, calf roping, steer wrestling and bronc riding, both saddle and bareback. Each contestant was scored by judges after performing in their sport, each with the aim of claiming the championship title. The danger was real as the rodeo opened with bronc riding. Contestants clung to horses that thrashed violently to throw them off, with no competitor hanging on for more than a few seconds. Rodeo staff then had to calm the still-bucking broncos and lead them out of the ring. Spectators cheered and gasped in
later events as some contestants lassoed steers from horseback, jumped from their mounts and wrestled the animals to the ground. Other competitors were less fortunate, missing their rope tosses as their quarry successfully escaped the ring. An announcer from the Pro Rodeo Association noted this weekend’s rodeo is a culmination of year-round work for the contestants, who have had to prove themselves in prior rodeos this season. Vendors at the event gave spectators
the opportunity to refresh themselves with boiled peanuts, funnel cakes and other rodeo treats. Other vendors sold western attire and toys for kids. Even among the excitement and danger as the rodeo finals began, competitors kept their cool and did what they know best. Coby Sanchez, a 20-year-old team steer roping contestant from Louisiana, has been riding and roping for most of his life. He described the event as “just another day.”
Roswell council passes new apartment ban
County set to reopen Alpharetta jail facility
Candidates weigh in ahead of primaries
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inSIDEoutPaintCenters.com
By CANDY WAYLOCK candy@appenmedia.com
JAKE DRUKMAN/APPEN MEDIA
National Cowboy and Pro Rodeo Association Rodeo Finals competitor Coby Sanchez sits atop his horse, Pac-Man, ahead of the May 5 competition
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ATLANTA — Teachers in the Fulton County School System will be among the highest paid in the region next year under the proposed $1.1 billion budget for the 2023 fiscal year starting July 1. The budget also includes a slight decrease in the millage rate for property owners. Included in the FY23 budget is a 3 percent salary increase for all district staff, a mid-year step increase for eligible employees, bonuses and other financial incentives. The pay increases will add nearly $53 million to this year’s salary schedules. “We are in a competitive market, and we’re constantly trying to make sure that our frontline positions are staffed with qualified personnel…and that comes at a price,” said Marvin Dereef, chief financial officer for Fulton Schools. Despite the salary hikes, the FY23 reflects about a 1 percent drop from
See BUDGET, Page 5