MARIETTA - Marietta City Schools will not furlough any of its teachers in 2009, but may review the decision in early 2010.

Last month, Gov. Sonny Perdue said public schools and Medicaid must cut 3 percent of their budgets, and called on teachers to take three unpaid furlough days to make up for a $900 million budget gap. For the Marietta school system, the 3 percent budget cut equals a reduction of $851,872 in state funding, and furloughing employees for three days slashes an additional $446,568 from the state. The furloughs are not mandatory if a system can make up for the reduced state funding by other means, which is what the Marietta system plans to do.

"I recommend that this not take place at this time. We did an awful lot last year to get us through the FY09 year, as well as planned to get us sufficiently through this year, always with our eyes on the bottom line for the following year," Superintendent Dr. Emily Lembeck said. "I feel comfortable recommending to the board that at this time there are no furlough days. However, if additional cuts come to us from the state, we're going to have to seriously consider that and come back to it."

School board members unanimously supported the superintendent's recommendation at their work session Friday.

"This is great. I'm glad we're able to avoid this," Ward 4 Board Member Jill Mutimer said.

The Marietta system will offset the $1.29 million in cuts from the state by reducing grants, transportation and nurses, Lembeck said.

The Governor's recommendation only applies from August to December, so Lembeck said the board might have to reconsider furloughs in 2010.

"It leaves January through June 2010 unknown. Based on what we are hearing, there is every reason to believe that additional cuts are possible," she said. "While the calendar does not require a reduction of teacher work days at this time, furlough days may be required later in the year if the economy continues to decline and further cuts come from the state."

In July, the Cobb School Board voted 6-1, with board member Alison Bartlett opposed, to use $10 million in reserves to cover further state budget cuts rather than impose three furlough days for teachers. Bartlett said she is against dipping into reserves when she believes the district is going to need them in the future. She urged the superintendent to see if funds could be taken from other areas to cover the state budget cuts.