What is the Millage Rate?

The Millage Rate is the part of your property taxes that funds the daily operation of our schools.

Why is the Millage Rate Going Up?

The cost of running our schools has gone up in many areas.

• Health Insurance: The district now pays $1,885 per month for each classified employee (bus drivers, nutrition staff, custodians, office staff, paraprofessionals, etc.). We have 524 classified employees who receive State Health Insurance, which equals nearly $12 million a year—and the State does not reimburse the district for these costs.
• Energy: Costs for electricity and gas have increased 32% since last year and 86% since 2020.
• Other Expenses: Software (300% increase since 2020), fuel, and supplies have also gone up.

No new programs are being added—the increase is simply to cover the rising cost of operating our schools.

• Millage Rate Decrease: From 2018–2024, the district’s millage rate decreased, reflecting financially responsible leadership that prioritized saving residents money whenever possible.

What makes ECSD’s staffing different from other districts?

ECSD funds many positions with local dollars that the state does not provide—like 1st-grade paraprofessionals. These locally funded positions help keep class sizes smaller and give students more support, which is why the district makes them a priority.

How much does ECSD spend per student?

ECSD spends over $14,000 per student each year. Of that amount, about $6,000 comes from local property taxes. To put this in perspective, a homeowner would need to pay taxes on a house worth $825,000 to equal the local share spent on just one child’s education.

What about warehouses and new businesses—do they pay taxes?

Yes, businesses and warehouses do pay property taxes. However, the school district does not control what is built in Effingham County or what tax agreements businesses receive. Those decisions are made by the County Commissioners and the Industrial Development Authority, not the school district.

What is ESPLOST?

ESPLOST stands for Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. It is a penny sales tax paid by everyone who shops in Effingham County, including businesses and visitors.

What does ESPLOST pay for?

• School buildings and new classrooms
• Buses
• Technology (Chromebooks, etc.)
• Safety upgrades
• Extracurricular facilities
• New roofs, HVAC systems, and maintenance needs
• Bond payments (loans) on the new facilities and initiatives.

👉 ESPLOST cannot be used for salaries, benefits, or daily operating costs.

How do school districts pay back their bonds if ESPLOST is not available?

A bond is like a loan that the school district takes out to build or improve schools. Just like a loan, it must be paid back over time. If a community does not have ESPLOST, the district must raise property taxes through something called a bond millage to make those payments.

This means an extra cost for homeowners and property owners in Effingham County.

With ESPLOST, however, bond payments are covered using money collected from sales taxes paid by everyone who shops in Effingham—not just property owners. This helps the district keep up with growth, build new facilities, and provide upgrades for our students and staff.

For example, the current ECSD millage rate is 18.45. Without ESPLOST, an additional 1.5 bond millage could be added to cover bond payments. Thanks to ESPLOST, these payments are already taken care of in Effingham County.

How do Millage Rate and ESPLOST work together?

• Millage Rate (Property Taxes) = People (teachers, bus drivers, school resource officers, paraprofessionals, support staff, etc.)
• ESPLOST (Penny Sales Tax) = Places and Things