Under Georgia law, the Board of Public Education for the City of Savannah and the County of Chatham is a “recommending authority" that exercises the power to cause the levying authority (the Chatham County Commission) to levy property taxes to carry out the purposes of the Board of Education. In accordance with law and policy, it is necessary for the Board to adopt the recommended Calendar Year 2020 millage rates for both Maintenance and Operations and General Obligation Bond indebtedness and their corresponding levies on taxable property.
After three public hearings and a Special Called meeting on June 17, 2020, the Board approved the recommended 18.881 mills which will be used for FY21. The District's operating budget has not yet been finalized due to the delay in the 2020 legislative session. State leaders continue to grapple with the economic impacts of the pandemic and are working to finalize budgets for all state agencies. State monies provide a significant portion of revenue received for the operation of the school district. SCCPSS is preparing a budget to account for losses in state revenue that could range from nine to thirteen million dollars for the 2020-21 school year.
Revenues from the local tax digest will continue based on the 18.881 millage rate, which remains flat compared to the FY20 budget year. A comparison of millage rates from the top 10 largest school districts in the state is provided. Savannah-Chatham County Public School System has one of the lowest total millage rates of any of the comparable sized school districts in Georgia. The top ten largest school districts in Georgia are listed below. There is no change to the millage rate for Chatham County Schools for FY2021.
See the comparison chart here.
For additional information to help understand the millage rate, please enjoy this short video.
