Property taxes to rise in DeKalb County School District with unchanged millage rate

The DeKalb County School District has proposed a 2026 millage rate of 22.78 mills, which means the rate would be unchanged and property taxes will increase.

A “mill” represents one tax dollar for every $1,000 of assessed property value. Because the rate for homeowners in the DCSD will not be changing, it effectively means a 1.5% increase in property taxes compared to the calculated rollback rate (the rate at which property taxes would remain the same) of 22.424 mills.

“Because Georgia assesses property taxes on 40 percent of fair market value, the overall impact on taxpayers remains limited while helping the district maintain stable funding for safe facilities, competitive teacher compensation, and reliable student transportation,” Jamelia Potter, the Communications Coordinator for DCSD, wrote in a statement. “These investments also support local property values and broader economic growth.”

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This maintenance of the millage rate has been a trend among other cities and counties. Both Dunwoody and Tucker have announced that they will also adopt unchanged millage rates.

At a public hearing on June 1, school board members heard from Byron Schueneman, the CFO finance division, that DeKalb is projecting a drop in student population from 93,513 during the 2025-26 school year to 91,487, a decrease of 2%.

The $989 million budget includes additional money for the teacher retirement fund, employer insurance contributions, additional state-mandated reading specialists at every K-3 school, additional paraprofessionals, and step increases for qualified personnel.

Homeowners in the county will see a net increase of 3.16%, according to online documents related to the budget. The increase was 9.14% in 2021, 15.3% in 2022, 13.7% in 2023, 7.35% in 2024, and 2.9% in 2025.

Community members are invited to attend public hearings on the proposed tax increase before final adoption. The first meeting was held on June 1; the remaining meetings will be on June 11 at 6 p.m. and June 15 at 10 a.m. All hearings will be held in the J. David Williamson Board Room in Stone Mountain and livestreamed.  

Those interested in signing up to speak at a hearing can call 678-676-0722 or email budget_info@dekalbschoolsga.org. Written comments and questions can also be sent to: