Savannah-Chatham County schools recommend holding millage at 17.481 mills after public hearing

At a June 25 public hearing, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System officials presented the district's budget and recommended no change to the current maintenance-and-operations millage rate of 17.481 mills for fiscal year 2026, then took public comment from residents and business representatives urging a rollback.

Superintendent Dr. Watts framed the budget as "more than just dollars and cents," saying it reflected the district's priorities for about 36,000 students and listed investments the administration had prioritized, including high-dose tutoring at several schools, additional preschool classrooms, differentiated support for struggling schools, and raises for frontline employees. "Our budget is a reflection of our values," Dr. Watts said.

In a detailed presentation, finance staff explained the Taxpayer Bill of Rights process set by the Georgia General Assembly and implemented by the Georgia Department of Revenue. The presentation noted that each taxing jurisdiction must calculate a rollback rate to offset inflationary increases in the digest and that…