Educators Discuss Concerns About Tax Reform Today

Controversy is brewing over a plan to entirely eliminate property taxes in Georgia.
 
Local school leaders spoke out today about a proposed bill that would replace property taxes with a 4% on groceries, lottery tickets and services.
 
As 3 On Your Side Education Reporter, Randi Hempel explains, the bill really has educators worried.
 
That’s because 55% of the money funding our schools comes from property taxes. Only about 33% comes from the state, while 11.5% comes from the federal government.

School district officials say if they depend soley on the state to provide funding, they most likely won't have the funds needed for popular programs, initiatives and that without local discretion they likely wouldn't be able to provide the local supplement for teachers' salaries.
 
Today, school district officials, representatives from the Chatham County PTA Council, Chatham County Association of Educators, the Savannah Federation of Teachers and City of Savannah officials held a press conference to discuss their concerns
 
"If we can't fund public education here in Chatham County, because we have a stable means of revenue, that's an issue, you can be possibly talking about doing away with transportation, you could be talking about no magnet programs, no academies.” Explains Lori Brady, District 6 School Board Member.
 
“As a parent, I'm concerned because right now here in Chatham County I know Dr. Lockamy is doing everything he can to reform our school system here in Savannah and when you start talking about money, it takes money to make reform.” Adds Kim Harrison, President of the Savannah-Chatham County Council of PTA.
 
“I'm a property owner. I'm also a teacher. I would love to not have to pay property taxes, but I don't want to have to not pay property taxes at the expense of the education of our children. I'm also a mother and a grandmother.” Explains Mary Snowden, President of the Chatham Association of Educators.
 
If the tax reform bill is passed as written in most recent versions, citizens of Chatham County will be paying big bucks in taxes; both the new 4% state sales tax and property taxes.  That's because some of the most recent versions of the proposed tax reforms don't eliminate property taxes if districts have bond indebtedness until the bond debt is paid off.  The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System has more than $110,000,000 in bond financing.  The financing is secured for the next 13 years. 
 
Also, the tax money generated by a county goes to Atlanta and is then redistributed, so there's no way to know if we're receiving the money we spent.
 
District officials say they're not opposed to tax reform, but that it has to be done a different way, perhaps with a state wide Stephen's-Day Bill.

The 37 page bill, proposed by House Speaker Glenn Richardson, is being called "The Great Plan For Georgia"

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