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Dougherty County School District board meeting, date not confirmed yet

1 h 15 min · 0 public speakers

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What happened

What happened at this meeting

Superintendent says district expects significant millage rate cut after final tax digest 19:57

  • The superintendent gave a report that covered the countywide property reassessment, House Bill 581 and Senate Bill 33, and said the district anticipates a significant millage rate reduction. 13:30
  • The superintendent said the final tax digest is expected in mid-October, after an appeals deadline of October 5th, and that staff would then recommend a millage rate to the board. 20:12
  • The board adopted its agenda and approved the minutes of the August 27th meeting, then went into executive session. 50:32
Item by item (12)
  1. Student recognitions 0:16
    • District staff recognized several students who earned a perfect score on at least one section of an assessment during the last school term, and the students were to receive a certificate. 0:16
    • A staff member said the students would receive a certificate and the DCSS Superintendent's Challenge Coin. 0:16
  2. Student poetry program partnership proposal 7:19
    • A presenter asked the district to consider partnering on a free performing literary arts program for middle and high school students in grades 6 through 12. 8:02
    • The presenter said the organization would remain responsible for running and funding the program and asked the district to help distribute information, encourage educator referrals and identify a district liaison. 9:07
    • The presenter said a kickoff event would be held September 27th. 10:37
  3. Agenda review 11:14
    • The board reviewed the agenda items, including minutes, employment and release of personnel, architectural services and fundraising requests. 11:41
    • A staff member said the architectural services recommendation would add new firms to the approved list and that 2 firms already approved and working on projects would remain on the list. 12:12
  4. Family and community engagement program 13:30
    • The superintendent said 67% of students come from families that receive government assistance and that two schools had 32-point increases in literacy from 2022 to 2025. 13:30
    • The superintendent said the VILLA program aims to give parent volunteers and community leaders skills for school system engagement, with a second session scheduled for Thursday. 15:15
  5. Property reassessment and millage rate 13:30
    • The superintendent said the board has reduced the millage rate 7 consecutive years and explained its reasons for opting out of House Bill 581, including local control and the exclusion of school systems from the FLOST sales tax offset. 13:30
    • The superintendent said an increase in assessed value does not necessarily mean an increase in property taxes and that the district anticipates a significant millage rate reduction. 19:52
    • The superintendent said Senate Bill 33 removed the opt-out option and that the statewide float begins for the school system in 2027 with 2026 as the baseline year. 30:42
  6. Legislative priorities and federal benefit changes 22:47
    • The superintendent said SNAP enrollment in Georgia fell 36.5% and that a drop in directly certified students could end the district's eligibility for free meals for all students. 22:47
    • The superintendent said the employer cost of the state health benefits plan has more than doubled to over $23,000 per employee per year, an increase of more than $4.5 million for the district. 40:07
    • The superintendent said the district plans to create a task force to help affected parents with employment, job training and online reporting. 45:28
  7. Superintendent announcements 22:47
    • The superintendent said the district will start an adaptive sports program for students with disabilities, beginning with handball later this month, and described it as the first in South Georgia. 47:08
    • The superintendent said the 2026 DCSS Fall Recharge for employees will be held Monday, October 5th, on Pine Avenue. 48:23
  8. Meeting opening, agenda and minutes 49:09
    • The meeting was called to order with the Pledge of Allegiance, and a staff member said there were no more public comments or presentations. 49:38
    • Motions were made to adopt the agenda and approve the minutes of the August 27th meeting. 50:25
    • The agenda was adopted and the minutes were approved. 50:32
  9. Consent agenda 50:58
    • A motion was made to approve consent agenda items 2 through 5, and a staff member said it included the addition of the two architectural firms. 50:58
  10. Executive session 51:47
    • A motion was made and seconded to go into executive session for personnel and property litigation. 51:47
    • The board went into executive session. 52:19
  11. School tax rate discussion 52:27
    • A speaker asked why school system taxes were higher than city and county taxes. 1:09:05
    • A staff member said the city and county have other revenue streams, such as utilities and a landfill, and can use the FLOST sales tax to offset property taxes, while the school system relies on property taxes for local revenue. 1:09:20
    • A speaker said it was not fair to blame the school system and asked that the community do better by education. 1:13:56
  12. Adjournment 1:14:46
    • A motion to adjourn was called for a vote. 1:14:46

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Who spoke

Who spoke

We can’t yet tell who is speaking at this board’s meetings.

Video: posted by the district as “Regular Board Meeting - September 14, 2026”