Fulton County Board of Education member Stuart announces her retirement

Fulton County Board of Education member Katha Stuart, who represents District 1, has announced her retirement effective Aug. 31.

District 1 represents areas in Alpharetta, Roswell, Mountain Park, and Milton.

Stuart has served on the board for nine years and decided not to run for reelection, according to a Fulton County Schools news release.

Sara Gillespie won the nonpartisan election for the seat on May 21, 2024. However, her term does not start until January 2025, leaving a vacancy on the board when Stuart’s resignation goes into effect.

The board will announce during its August work session how a replacement will be selected to fill the District 1 seat until Gillespie is sworn in next year, according to the release.

Fulton County Schools reducing millage rage

The Fulton County Board of Education held the first of three required public hearings on its plan for a partial rollback of the millage rate.

Superintendent Mike Looney proposed reducing the current rate from 17.14 to 17.13, according to a school system news release. The other two public hearings will be held on Aug. 6, after which the board will vote to set the millage rate.

Board members are considering an additional reduction in the millage rate. They will review data to determine how lowering rates up to the full rollback rate of 3.67 percent would impact the FY2025 budget and school operations before making a final decision on the suggested millage rate.

The “floater” Homestead Exemption for Fulton County Schools (FCS) reduces the overall homeowner tax burden annually and represents more than $173 million in districtwide taxpayer savings for FY2025, the release said. FCS has used ESPLOST funding to eliminate any long-term capital debt, so the district does not have Debt Service included in the millage rate.

FCS Chief Financial Officer Marvin Dereef said state revenues represent a third of the district’s total revenue.

The proposed millage rate reduction to 17.13 mills is legally defined as a tax increase because it does not equal a full rollback to offset increases in property assessments.

More information on the proposed rates, including the required notice by the Georgia Department of Revenue, is on the FCS website at www.fultonschools.org .

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