North Gwinnett News

Gwinnett County Public Schools has announced a plan to reduce the millage rate by 0.1 mills. The Gwinnett County Board of Education (BOE) will conduct three public hearings as part of the process for setting this rate. The first hearing is scheduled for July 3 at 6 p.m., with subsequent hearings on July 10 at 11:00 a.m. and 6 p.m. All hearings will be held in the Board Room at the J. Alvin Wilbanks Instructional Support Center in Suwanee.

On June 20, 2024, the BOE adopted its Fiscal Year 2025 Budget and tentatively approved a reduced millage rate to support it. The board agreed to lower the Maintenance & Operations (M&O) millage rate by 0.1 mills, resulting in rates of 19.10 for M&O and 1.45 for debt service. Revenue from the M&O millage funds daily operations such as employee salaries, instructional materials, student transportation, and utility costs, while the debt service rate addresses long-term debt from past bond referenda for school construction.

The Gwinnett County Tax Assessor’s Office conducts annual property value updates to maintain an accurate local tax digest. State law requires local taxing authorities like the BOE to either keep tax collections revenue-neutral or announce a tax increase if property value updates result in increased taxes—even if the millage rate decreases or remains unchanged. For FY2025, total millage will generate more revenue, necessitating an announcement of a proposed property tax increase; however, taxpayers whose property values remain unchanged due to reassessment will not see an increase in their school tax bill.

The budget includes investments in compensation, school safety, resources at schools, instructional materials, multilingual and literacy program support, college and career readiness initiatives, and early learning programs. Enrollment for the next school year is projected to exceed 182,700 students.

Citizens are invited to address the BOE during any of the three public hearings without needing to sign up beforehand; a sign-up sheet will be available at each hearing for those wishing to speak.

A copy of the budget can be reviewed on the school system’s website www.gcpsk12.org or through its Budget Department. For further information, individuals may call 678-301-6200.