Atlanta school tax collections to rise due to higher tax assessments

Jason Getz / AJC

Jason Getz / AJC

The Atlanta school district isn’t raising its tax rate this year, but the district still expects to raise more money in property taxes because of rising tax assessments.

However, the school district will devote slightly more of the money raised to its operations rather than paying down debt because the district’s debt obligations are smaller this year than last.

The proposed tax rate funding school operations will be 21.715 mills and the debt tax rate will be .025 mills. That adds up to an overall tax rate of 21.74 mills, the same rate Atlanta Public Schools has had since 2012.

Currently, the district’s tax rate includes 21.64 mills for operations and 0.10 mills for debt service.

As required by state law, the Atlanta school board will hold a series of hearings on the proposed tax rate.

The hearings at 130 Trinity Avenue were scheduled for Thursday at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. and on June 30 at 6 p.m. Final adoption of the tax rate was scheduled to take place following the June 30 hearing.

The district announced Wednesday those hearings had been postponed.