After much debate and public comment, Board of Education members have decided whether or not to opt out of House Bill 581.
The Vernon Payne Meeting Hall in the Clarke County School District Office grew tense as the members moved to their one action item for the monthly board meeting: a resolution to opt out of House Bill 581.
This statewide homestead exemption law was passed in 2024 and enacted in January 2025. It limits the annual increase in property values for tax purposes and changes the process of assessing and appealing property taxes.
HB 581 was approved by 62% of residents in Athens-Clarke County when it was presented as an initiative on the November 2024 ballot. This fact led two members of the board to vote against the resolution. Mary Bagby represents District 2 on the board:
“I think we should opt in because I think we should go along with the voters and we are not spending a lot of money the way we should. So I think we should respect the majority of the voters”
However, most board members urged the general public to consider the effects on school funding if they decided to opt in.
At the Jan. 14 Board Hearing CCSD’s chief financial officer, Chris Griner said that over half of the school district’s general fund revenue comes from property taxes. He added that if House Bill 581 had been in effect for the last six years, the school district would have operated with over $7 million less. Heidi Hensley represents District 1:
“The people that are going to be hurt by this are our most vulnerable students. It’s not that I don’t believe in the voice of the people. I do believe in the voice of the people but even as some public comment came out a lot of people didn’t understand what this bill meant- they didn’t know the impact it was going to have on the school system.”
Board of Education members believe they need to make their own decisions based on projections provided by school district officials and concerns about decreased funding from the state going forward. Dr. Mumbi Anderson, president of the Board and representative for District 6:
“So it’s either personnel or instruction. That’s what we’re looking at cutting when we say ‘shave off some money here and there.’ Were either cutting instruction or were cutting personnel- that’s the decision that we make. So as a school board, we have a responsibility to say we want to keep our kids and our building in school- in classes, so that’s 10%. And we want to keep our personnel there so that they are teaching our kids and supporting our buildings. That’s the 90%. What is there to cut?…. What are we asking to cut?”
The resolution to opt out of House Bill 581 passed 5-2. The resolution is technically already in effect but will be filed with the Secretary of State by Mar. 1.
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with WUGA News
