The Hall County Schools boardroom was silent Monday night when public comment on the proposed fiscal year 2012 budget was called for.

"That speaks to this community's willingness to support boys and girls in their education," Hall County Schools Superintendent Will Schofield said.

"The fact that people aren't here to speak against it is a reflection of this community."

Total expenditures in the budget are estimated at $196,777,377.

The fiscal 2011 budget was amended to account for changes in state health insurance costs, which will slightly affect the starting balance for the fiscal 2012 budget.

"We've been paying a very minimum insurance rate," Hall County Deputy Superintendent Lee Lovett said.

"The state gives us funding to help pay for the health insurance. Then in turn, they bill us for the insurance and we have to pay it back to them."

The board was charged 21.955 percent from July 2010 to April 2011, and in May and June it was only charged 1.429 percent.

Lovett said the reason the state did that was to front-load the fund to build it up where it had been depleted the previous fiscal year.

"This budget amendment simply takes out the money the state is going to take away because they're not going to charge us," he said.

The state also increased the rate for non-teacher insurance, which will cost Hall County schools $63,840. Altogether the cuts in state funding for health insurance amount to $175,339, which will change the starting balance in fiscal 2012.

"It could have been worse," Lovett said. "That amount of money is not going to make or break us."

The board expects to adopt the budget and set the millage rate at its meeting June 23.

Middle school End of Course Test pass rates were also presented at the meeting.

"Our middle school students taking Carnegie courses significantly outperformed," Schofield said. "Those are close to 100 percent in every area."