Fulton County homeowners will pay the same school property tax rate for the seventh straight year, though many will still see higher bills due to increased property values.
💰 What It Means For You: Your school tax rate stays at 17.08 mills, but your total bill may rise if your property was reassessed at a higher value. The school system is legally required to advertise this as a “tax increase” even though the rate remains unchanged.
What is the Millage Rate?: The millage rate is your property tax rate. Your city, county, and school system all set a millage rate. That combined number becomes your overall property tax rate. One mill represents $1 of tax on every $1,000 of taxable property.
🏫 What’s Happening: The Fulton County Board of Education plans to maintain its current property tax rate rather than adopting the lower “rollback rate” that would keep tax collections the same despite rising property values.
🔍 Between the Lines: Georgia law requires the district to hold three public hearings and advertise a “tax increase” when keeping the same rate after property reassessments. The 2.88% “increase” refers to additional revenue from higher property values, not a higher tax rate.
💼 The Big Picture: Fulton School officials say the school district maintains one of metro Atlanta’s lowest school tax rates while carrying zero long-term debt – an unusual achievement for a large district. The system funds building projects through sales tax revenue instead of borrowing.
🗣️ Have Your Say: Public hearings will be held August 12 at 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. in Sandy Springs, and August 19 at 6 p.m. in Union City.
The Sources: Fulton County Board of Education.
🛑 🛑 🛑
Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
