Tift County Schools

TIFTON, GA – The Tift County Board of Education approved the Final Consolidated Budget for Fiscal Year 2026 that will provide Tift Taxpayers with property tax relief in the coming year. The approved budget, which takes effect on July 1, 2025, is based on a reduction in local tax revenue for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. 

According to Tift County Schools Superintendent Natalie Gore, the reduction is tied to an anticipated rollback in the millage rate.  “Over the last 12 months, Tift’s Board of Education has heard from our community about the impact the 2024 property tax revaluations has had on families, seniors, farmers and business owners. Armed with new legislation from Atlanta, the Board has voted to reduce revenue generated from local taxpayers for FY26 below the anticipated rollback requirement. In short, the Board of Education has committed to a significant tax reduction for Tift County citizens with this budget.”  

Tift County Schools is preparing responsibly for a lower revenue year, which will be driven by the expectation the Board will set a millage rate lower than the rollback rate. Renee Guess, Chief Financial Officer, explains, “The final millage rate cannot be set until we receive the official tax digest from the Tift County Tax Commissioner’s office, which is anticipated to be available in September or October.”  At that time, Tift County citizens can expect to see a millage rate set by the Board of Education that reduces local property tax revenues by approximately $3.2 million.

The school system remains committed to maintaining high-quality educational programs and services for students while being fiscally responsible and responsive to the needs of the taxpayers in the community. The Board of Education will utilize some of its reserve fund balance to offset the planned reduction in local tax revenue for the 2025-2026 school year. The adopted budget anticipates utilizing the system’s fund balance, which will leave the school system with approximately 14.9 million dollars in reserve fund balance or roughly 1.9 months of operating expenses.  

Superintendent Gore explains, “Our Board of Education is committed to striking a balance between continuing investments in our educational system that provide for our staff and students while also providing our taxpayers with the best value.  When you examine the expenditures of the 180 public school systems across the state of Georgia, only 19 school systems in Georgia spend less money per pupil than Tift.  As such, our Board of Education has and will continue to establish budgets for the school system that are fiscally responsible and provide taxpayers with the best possible value for the dollars invested”.

Mrs. Guess adds, “While we are passing tax relief onto our local taxpayers, the Board of Education is seeing increased expenditures from the State Legislature that commit local tax dollars to items beyond our control. Over the past two years, Tift County Schools has faced significant increases in health insurance premiums and Teachers Retirement System (TRS) contributions, resulting in a combined financial impact of approximately $4 million. If these increases continue from the State on the same trajectory, the Board will face tough decisions in future budget years.”