DeKalb County's tax assessor says their budget problems should have been no surprise to school board members.

Members have complained they did not know their budget deficit was greater than first reported because of declining home values.

"No that's not the case," said tax assessor Calvin Hicks.

In fact, Hicks shared with Channel 2 Action News documents as recent as May 30 to board members detailing the declines in revenue.

"They're on the distribution list," he said, "and we're submitting that data to them.”

School board spokesman Walter Woods now says surprised was perhaps not the word to use to describe the board's reaction.  Frustrated is more appropriate.

Woods said the board wanted to be certain that the numbers were indeed accurate.

"Because we didn't have a hard number," he said.  "We want to make sure that we're telling people what they need to hear and what the real numbers are."

The board considers the budget again June 20.