Discussion of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) and of the Peach Education Tax Credit program dominated the Oconee County Board of Education meeting last week.
Superintendent Melissa Butler, in her report to the Board, said she had recently toured both of the system’s high schools to explore options for growth in CTAE instruction.
Butler said that approval of Oconee County Schools as a participant in the Peach Education Tax Credit program presents an opportunity for raising additional money to support the expansion of CTAE at the system’s schools.
Callen Moore, Executive Director of Communications for Oconee County Schools, in a 10-minute presentation to the Board that included a four-minute-long video, discussed the current work-based learning in Oconee County Schools and said the Peach Education Tax Program will allow for an expansion of those offerings.
Jennifer Whitaker, Chief Academic Officer for Oconee County Schools, devoted most of her six-minute-long Teaching and Learning Report to the Peach Education Tax Credit, saying it allows Georgia taxpayers to direct some of the income tax they currently are paying to the state to Oconee County Schools.
The Board wasn’t asked to take any action on the information presented by Butler and her leadership team members. Three of the Board members asked questions.
The Board, at Superintendent Butler’s request, authorized transferring $720,000 from its General Fund at the Sept. 14 meeting to cover its financial obligation to the county for work on the Civic Center. The work was completed or was underway prior to transfer of the Civic Center from the county to the School Board on Sept. 1.
Chief Financial Officer Peter Adams told the Board that the General Fund Cash Balance dropped from $64.1 million in July of 2026 to $59.3 million in July. He also reported that, for the Fiscal Year ending on June 30, Oconee County Schools had $7.8 more in revenue than budgeted and spent $284,557 more than planned when the budget was adopted.
Superintendent’s Report
“We are very focused on determining the future direction of our CTAE programs and ensuring that they continue to align with the modern needs of our students, our community, and our workforce,” Butler told the Board in her Superintendent’s Report.
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| Butler 9/14/2026 |
“We have recently toured both high schools and looked at our existing programs, facilities, and options for future growth and modernization,” she said.
Surveys are being sent to businesses, community leaders, students, and parents, Butler said, “and that feedback will be an important part of determining our next steps.”
“We want to make sure that our programs we offer are responsive to student interests, provide meaningful opportunities, and prepare students for the opportunities that await them after graduation,” she continued.
“An important part of that conversation is recognizing that career education is truly for every student,” Butler said. “CTAE is not just for students who plan to enter the workforce immediately after high school and is not separate from college preparation.”
“It serves both students who plan to go directly into a career and students who plan to attend a college or university,” she said. “These programs give students advantage by providing hands-on experience, industry knowledge, and exposure to the fields they may ultimately choose to enter.”
“That is why we are all so excited about the Peach Education Tax Credit,” she said. “Oconee County Schools is now an approved school fundraising partner, and contributions designated to OCS can help us modernize CTAE classrooms, labs, equipment, and technology as we prepare for the future of these programs.”
Points Of Pride
A standard feature of Board of Education meetings is a segment called Points of Pride, that features a program, usually at one of the system’s schools. Students are normally involved.
As is usual, that segment preceded Butler’s Superintendent’s Reports on Sept. 14.
“Each month our Points of Pride gives us an opportunity to take a closer look at the programs, initiatives, and opportunities making an impact across Oconee County Schools,” Communications Director Moore said at the meeting.
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| Moore 9/14/2026 Hammond In Background |
“This month we are highlighting our Career Technical and Agricultural Education, or CTAE.,” she said. “CTAE gives students opportunities to connect what they're learning in the classroom with real world skills and experiences while exploring potential college and career pathways.”
“As you will see in tonight's video, we are continuing to look for ways to strengthen our existing CTAE programs, expand opportunities for students, and create new and innovative pathways for the future,” she said.
“We will also share more about the Peach Education Tax Credit and how our community can support the continued growth by redirecting Georgia income tax dollars they already owe to Oconee County Schools.”
“In addition to expanding our existing pathways,” Butler says in the video, “we're also exploring innovative new career pathway options. This could include aviation and drone technology, logistics, cyber security, skilled trades such as construction management.”
“We want to ensure that we provide opportunities for every student in Oconee County Schools,” she said.
Teaching And Learning Report
Chief Academic Officer Whitaker gave the first of the presentations to the Board from Butler’s leadership team following the Superintendent’s Report.
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| Whitaker 9/14/2026 |
“As we have gathered feedback from our community, including through the superintendent survey last October,” Whitaker said, “three priorities emerged around CTAE: expanding pathways and opportunities, strengthening work-based learning and community partnerships, and improving communication about the opportunities already available to students.”
“Currently, both of our high schools offer a variety of CTAE pathways and we are exploring opportunities to strengthen our current offerings and develop new pathways that align with student interest and current workforce needs,” she said.
“One strategy we are also exploring is shared access between our two high schools,” she said. “Rather than trying to replicate every specialized pathway at both schools, students could access select pathways at either high school with transportation provided by the district between schools.”
“This would allow us to provide more equitable opportunities for students while investing more deeply in specialized labs, equipment, and hands-on, high quality experiences,” Whitaker said.
“As we plan for that work, the Peach Education Tax Credit provides an important opportunity for our community to help support these investments,” she said. “Through this program, Georgia taxpayers, both individuals and businesses, can redirect a portion of state income taxes they already owe to Oconee County Schools.”
“Rather than paying those dollars to the state, taxpayers can choose to invest them locally in our students and receive a dollar-for-dollar Georgia income tax credit,” she said. Funds designated to Oconee County Schools through this program will be used to strengthen and expand CTAE programs and opportunities for students.”
“The process itself is very simple,” she said. “Taxpayers apply through the Georgia Foundation for Public Education. They receive pre-approval and make their contribution within 60 days and then claim the credit on their Georgia tax return.”
Questions From Board
In response to a question from School Board Member Ryan Hammock, Whitaker said the person who directs state income tax to Oconee County Schools does not need to live in Oconee County.
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| Hammock 9/14/2026 |
The taxpayer only must “have a tax liability to the state of Georgia,” she said.
Both Hammock and Board Chair Michael Ransom asked if there were limits on how much a taxpayer could redirect from the income taxes to Oconee County Schools.
“Those are on our website and I will get that information to you tomorrow through the superintendent,” Whitaker.
According to the Georgia Foundation For Public Education web site, a single filer and married persons filing singly can get a $2,500 tax credit. Married joint filers can get a $5,000 tax credit.
A business owner with pass through income from that business can get a $25,000 credit, while a C Corp, Trust or Electing Pass Through can get credit equal to 75 percent of annual tax liability.
Businesses that pay the state insurance premium tax can get credit for 75 percent of annual tax liability, up to $1 million.
In response to another question from Hammock, Whitaker said those seeking a tax credit have to file for that request and receive approval prior to Dec. 31 to get credit to be used on 2026 income taxes.
Turning to the CTAE programs, Board Member Adam Hammond asked Whitaker to “explain a little more about how you would select a new pathway, but then also how you revisit existing pathways to ensure they're still relevant as we think about workforce readiness and different pieces like that.”
“So that is the next phase that we are entering into,” Whitaker responded.
She said enrollment in existing programs will be examined, and surveys of students, “business partners and community members” will be conducted “to find out what are our local needs, not just necessarily right here in Oconee County but within their region.”
Financial Reports
Chief Financial Officer Adams told the Board that despite the 7.6 percent decrease in the General Fund Balance from July 31 to Aug. 31, from $64.2 million to $59.3 million, The cash balance for August was strong, and we are well positioned to still meet our financial obligations for the fiscal year.”
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| Adams 9/14/2026 |
Oconee County Schools has not received any of the $58.1 million in projected local taxes, including ad valorem taxes, which are due in November, and has received only $9.4 million of the budgeted $56.6 million in state monies through the Quality Basic Education allocation formula, according to the report presented by Adams.
The $59.3 million in the General Fund in August of this year is $5.5 million more than the $53.8 million in the General Fund in August of 2025.
In addition, Adams reported that Oconee County Schools has $13.6 million in its Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) account, up from $13.4 million in July. In August of 2025, the ESPLOST account held $13.3 million.
Adams also reported that Oconee County Schools received $1.2 million in new ESPLOST funds in August, for July collections, up 2.2 percent from a year ago, and the fifth month in a row collections have been more than $1 million.
Total ESPLOST collections now stand are $45.9 million, with a cap of $48.5 million. Voters have renewed the tax, to take effect as soon as the current tax reaches its cap.
Adams provided the Board with a Budget Report for June of 2026, saying it is the “unedited close out of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.”
That report shows Oconee County Schools received $126.9 million in revenue, up from the budgeted $119.2, or a difference of $7.8 million (rounded based on total revenues).
Oconee County Schools received $649,600 more in ad valorem taxes, $1.1 million more in title tax, and $1.3 million more in investment income than budgeted. It also received $183,431 more in state money through the QBE formula than was budgeted.
The budget the Board approved for Fiscal Year 2026 called for $120.5 million in spending. Actual spending was $120.8 million.
Payment To County
On the recommendation of Superintendent Butler, the Board voted on Sept,. 14 to allocate $720,000 from the General Fund to pay Oconee County for the School Board's 50 percent share of the cost of Civic Center renovations that were completed prior to the transfer of the Civic Center from the county to Oconee County Schools on Sept. 1.
The swap gave Oconee County Schools full control over the facility, to be used for school purposes.
The Board of Education agreed to give the county 42.7 acres of undeveloped land on U.S. 441 north of Bishop in exchange for the Civic Center and the 3.6 acres on which it sits.
Butler had said at that time that one advantage of the transfer of ownership of the Civic Center for Oconee County Schools was that the Board of Education could use ESPLOST monies for upgrades to the facility once it had ownership of the property.
Oconee County Schools had first right of use of the facility before the transfer.
In an email exchange after the Sept.14 meeting, Butler said the Board must pay the $720,000 from the General Fund because it is for a commitment made in the past for work completed and underway.
“Going forward,” she said, “the funding structure is very different. Facility improvements and renovations occurring after the Sept. 1 transfer can now be funded through ESPLOST when eligible, rather than through the General Fund.”
“In addition, because the Civic Center is now an OCS facility, eligible projects may qualify for state capital outlay funding, which can further reduce the local cost,” she added.
The Board on Sept. 14 also placed Board Policy DJEAA on the table for public review and comment until the next board of education meeting.
The policy would increase the authority of the superintendent to spend without Board approval $125,000, up from the current $25,000 and authorizes emergency spending up to $250,000.
Video
The video below is on the Oconee County Schools YouTube Channel.
I did attend the meeting, and the still images above are frames for the video and still images I shot
Moore began her presentation at 8:34 in the video below.
Butler began her report to the Board at 18:51.
Whitaker began the Teaching and Learning Report at 22:51.
Adams made his financial reports, beginning at 34:12 in the video.
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