We know budget hearings for the public school systems can be boring. And we know that’s why most people don’t bother to attend them. But those hearings are important. They help school boards determine how your tax dollars will be spent.

And school districts aren’t dealing with pennies. The Lincoln County School District is expecting a $25 million budget with about $4.4 million coming from local sources. The Brookhaven School District is planning for a $31 million budget with more than $10 million of that coming from local sources.

That’s serious money and a good chunk of it comes from ad valorem taxes. That’s the taxes paid on property — homes, car tags, business equipment, etc.

Depending on how much money each district requests from local sources, your taxes could increase or decrease. That should be enough incentive for all of us to pack the board rooms.

The budget hearing for Brookhaven is Tuesday at 6 p.m. The hearing for Lincoln County is Monday at 5 p.m. We hope taxpayers will attend to learn more about how their tax dollars are spent.

It will also soon be budget time for the city and county, and the public will have more opportunities to weigh in on how tax dollars are spent. We encourage everyone to take the time to do just that.