The McDuffie County School System has been working hard to be a good steward of the taxpayers’ money. Over the past four years, the board of education has approved the recommendation from district officials to adopt the rollback rate on property taxes. This has effectively lowered the tax rate levied by the system by 4.2 mills over that period, including a reduction of 0.831 mills this year alone.
While property values as well as the cost of goods and services have increased in recent years, the system has managed to maintain its operating budget at nearly the same level. Because of this fiscal responsibility, the board was able to lower the tax rate.
Despite the downward trend in local school taxes, many achievements were on the rise within the system during the same time period. From worldwide recognition to heightened safety measures and facilities growth, the McDuffie County School System has blazed a trail of innovation that all points to increased student achievement.
The global accreditation agency Cognia named McDuffie County Schools a 2022 System of Distinction after its stellar review of the district’s instructional, operational, and governance practices and procedures. The graduation rate continues to climb to new highs, reaching 87.7 percent in 2023. Workforce development and STEM initiatives ensure the system is producing college- and career-ready graduates. Standardized test scores are on the rise. More students than ever are accelerating their education through high school credits available in middle school as well as dual enrollment and Advanced Placement classes in high school.
Also, because safety is a top priority in schools across the country, McDuffie County led the way in the CSRA becoming the first district to install the CENTEGIX alert system in 2020. Teachers and administrators can lock down a school in seconds or signal to dispatchers the precise location of an emergency within a building. The school system’s police department has also grown to patrol every school, and each officer has received the best active threat training available.
In addition to the successes in student achievement and safety, the district was able to complete construction of additional classrooms at Norris and Dearing elementary schools. A brand new, state-of-the-art building will open in the fall of 2025 to serve the students currently scheduled to attend Thomson and Maxwell elementary schools. At the same time, a softball field was constructed at Thomson-McDuffie Middle, and upgrades were made to the Brickyard playing surface.
While system administrators and elected officials take the education of our future seriously, they also recognize the weight of that financial responsibility. They remain driven to support student success in the most fiscally responsible manner possible.