WINDER, Georgia — Officials in Georgia’s school system, where four people were killed in a September shooting at Apalachee High School, are considering raising property taxes to fund school-based police officers.
Barrow County Superintendent Dallas LeDuff told school board members on Tuesday that the tax increase was required because the county government informed the school system that it would no longer pay for sheriff’s officers, according to local news reports.
Since 2017, the school district and the Barrow County Commission have divided the cost of deputies designated as school resource officers. That number was originally 12, increased to 16 in 2024, and then to 24 following the shooting. This would require at least two officers at the district’s high schools and one officer in each other school, yet officials have yet to hire 24 deputies.
Last month, county commissioners wrote to LeDuff, stating that the county government will pay half of only 12 salaries for the time being, and that they will soon stop paying any charges.
“What they would like to see happen is that we as a school system be responsible for funding 100% of all direct and indirect costs for all 24 officers that we are staffing now, along with future officers we might add,” LeDuff added.
The superintendent stated that the district will fund the police’ costs, calling it “nonnegotiable.” Since the shooting, the district has faced tremendous local pressure to strengthen security, agreeing to install firearms detectors at its high and middle schools this year following months of community protest.
“Especially in light of Sept. 4, I am deeply concerned with the Board of Commissioners’ underlying notion that 2,000-plus Barrow County school system employees and over 15,000 Barrow County students are no longer included in their definition of public safety,” said Kayla Hendrix, a member of the Barrow “Perhaps we need to ask the county commissioners who qualifies under their definition of public safety.”
Officials believe that officers at Apalachee responded quickly, preventing more victims. The September 4 shooting killed teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, as well as students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, all 14 years old. Another instructor and eight additional children were injured, with seven of them hit by gunfire. Colt Gray, a 14-year-old freshman, was indicted as an adult for murder and other offenses.
Barrow County commissioners stated in their letter that voters supported a plan to exempt some senior persons from paying school property taxes, and that the county believes it is wrong to use property taxes collected for county administration to subsidize school expenses.
“It is imperative that Barrow County government ensure that no county general fund dollars — for which there is no senior exemption — are dedicated to areas that would otherwise be funded by school taxes and the associated millage rate,” Brian Stewart, the county’s spokesperson, said.
Paying for next year’s expenses will cost the school district more than $1 million. The district’s proposed property tax hike would cost the owner of a $100,000 property around $20 per year.
The topic could be raised during a county commission meeting next week. William Philip said he intends to attend the meeting to protest the decision.
“This is a major situation. “This is about our children’s safety,” Philip explained. “It’s bad politics.” Horrible politics. Many parents are eager to attend the commissioners’ meeting and see what happens.
