SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. – The Social Circle Board of Education passed its millage rate this month, accepting the rollback rate of 17.258.
The board had previously passed its general fund budget of $26.2 million in June and confirmed it in July, dropping it from the previous year’s budget of $31 million.
The newly adopted millage rate will see no increase in taxes as the rollback rate will simply pull in the same amount as last year.
The board also discussed some new safety features being installed using state grant money to install new cameras, detectors and other technology.
Todd Hilton, director of safety and technology for SCCS, presented a litany of improvements and changes to the Social Circle Board of Education at its regular monthly meeting this month, starting with a $200,000 security grant from the state which the system is using to install new security doors at the current primary and elementary schools, as well as new security cameras across all of the system’s campuses.
Hilton said the schools also installed vape detectors in the bathrooms at the middle and high schools.
“They’ve been very helpful already,” Hilton said. “In the last few days, we’ve had 20 vape detections each day at the high school. That should slow down as everyone realizes the detectors are there.”
And Hilton said the system will be installing new technology to better track visitors within the buildings.
“We will be rolling out a new visitor management system,” Hilton said. “Visitors will be issued a yellow badge that we can track through the entire building, so we know where they are at any time and where they’re going. The school resource officers will be able to check the new cameras at any time, too.”
Additionally, Hilton said the system had received another state grant they would use to help pay for the salaries of its two SROs. Currently, SCCS is the only system in the region to pay 100 percent of the salaries of its SROs, rather than splitting the cost between the school district and the local police department. The $188,496 grant will cover that expense and ensure the schools continue to have safety officers on the premises.
