The Oglethorpe County Board of Education approved a millage rate of 14.962 mills, lower than last year’s 16.025, during its Tuesday night meeting.
This 2025 rate determines how much residents will pay in school taxes, based on 40% of their property’s market value.
Board Chair Becky Soto said the decrease reflects both community growth and the district’s effort to operate efficiently.
“Over the last several years, we have been able to roll back partially, which means we still collect a little more tax, but we don’t actually collect as much as the tax digest would generate,” Soto said. “This year, we were actually able to roll it back all the way, which means that we will not collect any more tax money than we collected last year.”
Soto said while the district will not collect additional revenue, some homeowners could still see an increase in their tax bills if their property value went up.
Soto called the rollback “a big deal for our community.”
“It’s been a long time since the school board could do that,” she said. “We are able to do that with a variety of cost-saving measures. This school (system) pinches every penny. We tried our very, very best to save money and be as economical and careful as we can be.”
She added that the district also balances costs through grant funding.
This decrease reflects a general trend of reduction in the millage rate over the past few years: from 18.40 mills in 2021 to 16.65 mills in 2022 to 15.82 mills in 2023.
The Board of Commissioners will consider approval for both the proposed county and school district rates during a called meeting at 9 a.m. Friday. Tax bills reflecting the new rate will be issued this fall.
In other business, the board:
- Recognized the teachers of the year: Marianne Camacho (OCES), Kristin Byce (OCMS) and Jennifer Yauck (OCHS).
- Approved three updated board policies introduced last month: Internet Acceptable Use, Use of Electronic Devices by Students, and Equity in Sports.
- Approved a personnel update.
- Discussed two proposed school calendar options for the 2026-2027 academic year.
- Was recognized last week as a 2025 Exemplary Board by the Georgia School Board Association. The award honors districts that demonstrate strong governance, transparency and community engagement.