Fannin Students Return Tuesday to a New Athletic Complex, and a School Tax Vote Follows Aug. 13

Fannin County students go back to class Tuesday, Aug. 4, the district's official Students' First Day for the 2026-27 school year. That means buses on the road early, car lines at every school, and drivers on Old Highway 76 and the county's two-lane roads sharing the pavement with stops they have not had to think about since May. Teachers and staff report Monday, Aug. 3, for a professional learning day with no students in the building.

Families had their look inside on Friday, July 31. All schools held Open House from 1 to 5 p.m., and Fannin County High School added a session for ninth graders only from 5 to 7 p.m.

What's new: the athletic complex is in use

Students this year begin using ESPLOST-funded facilities at the new FCHS Athletic Complex. It is not a groundbreaking story anymore. Fannin County Middle School football players were already lifting in the new Athletic Performance Center weight room in July, before the first bell of the year rang.

The project traces back to a community survey the school system completed in January 2022, and the district has posted monthly construction updates since work began in the fall of 2024, including a July 2026 update from the contractor. Those updates live on the district's ESPLOST Dollars at Work pages, sorted month by month, if you want to see what the penny sales tax has paid for.

Supplies, haircuts and shots came first

Ahead of the start, the Fannin Children's Fund held its fifth annual Back to School Bash on Saturday, July 25, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the FCHS gym. Students enrolled in Fannin County Schools could pick up free school supplies while they lasted, and the event also offered haircuts, physicals, dental and vision services, and immunizations. Students had to be present to receive supplies.

Buses, and the first week of hiccups

Route problems are normal in week one. The district is posting daily bus route updates on its Transportation page, and parents who are not sure which run picks up on their road can reach the transportation department directly. Check the updates page before you assume a bus is simply late.

A few dates worth putting on the refrigerator now, from the board-approved 2026-27 calendar:

Date	What
Mon, Sept. 7	Holiday
Sept. 28 - Oct. 2	Fall break
Mon, Oct. 26	No students (staff PL day)
Tue, Oct. 27	Student virtual day
Nov. 23 - 27	Thanksgiving break

The tax rate the board still has to set

At a called meeting July 30, the Board of Education approved a tentative 2026 millage with the rollback rate calculated at 6.517. The notice is to be advertised in newspapers Aug. 5, and the final vote is set for the board's regular meeting Wednesday, Aug. 13, at 5:30 p.m. at the Staff Development Center, 6145 Old Hwy. 76 in Blue Ridge.

What that number means in practice: a mill is $1 of tax per $1,000 of assessed value, and Georgia assesses property at 40 percent of fair market value. On a home valued at $200,000, before exemptions, the school share works out to roughly $521 at 6.517 mills. The school board's rate for 2025 was 6.633 mills, according to local reports of last year's adoption, when both the county and the school system took the full rollback.

The rollback rate is calculated to keep the school system from collecting a windfall out of rising reassessments, so a lower millage does not automatically mean a lower bill. If your appraisal went up this year, your school taxes can still go up even as the rate comes down. The number on your notice of assessment is the other half of that math.

The Aug. 13 meeting is the point at which the rate becomes final, and it is a public meeting. Anyone who wants the rollback figure explained on the record, or wants to weigh in before the vote, has until 5:30 p.m. that Wednesday to show up on Old Highway 76.

For more Fannin County news, visit Blue Ridge Georgia Community Website, and join the conversation in our Community Forum to compare notes on bus routes and first-day photos. You can also read more education stories and follow local decisions in government and politics.

Header photo: Thomson200 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)