The Long County Board of Education got a look Monday at a proposed 2017-18 budget that includes a $28 million general fund and $23.5 million for capital projects.

The BoE will hold workshops June 26 and July 17 on the proposed budget, which is tentatively scheduled for approval at the board’s July 17 meeting.

Like many school districts in Georgia, Long County Schools operate on a July 1 to June 30 fiscal year, and at Monday’s meeting board members approved a spending resolution to keep the system running until the new budget is approved.

Among the highlights of the proposed budget:
• Instruction — which includes salaries for teachers — is the single biggest expense in the general fund, weighing in at just under $18.5 million.

• Maintenance and operations is the second biggest expense, at $2.24 million.

The system is expected to spend slightly less than $23.5 million on capital projects, the lion’s share of that going toward the new school for grades 3-8 projected to open in the fall of 2018.

Taxpayers pay about $4.9 million in property taxes to the school system. State and federal funding will account for the bulk of the rest, more than $47 million.

Justin Hall and Jeff Whitten contributed to this report.