SAVANNAH, Ga. — Two school questions sit on the fall ballot in Chatham County. One is a three-way race for a seat on the Savannah-Chatham school board, and the other is a countywide vote on how homes are valued for school taxes.
The nonpartisan board race is a special election to fill District 2. Mary Snowden, Valarie Grimes and Alfred Henry Jackson Jr. are the three names voters will see. Snowden, who spent 29 years teaching in Savannah-Chatham public schools, was named to the post in April and has held it on an interim basis since Dionne Hoskins-Brown left it to seek the board presidency. Grimes has worked as an educator and as a registered nurse.
Only people who live inside District 2 will see that race. Whoever wins will help steer a district grappling with student literacy, school performance, busing, hiring and its budget. The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System is also one of the largest employers in the Savannah area, so decisions by the board reach well beyond the classroom.
The tax question goes to every voter in the county. If approved, a qualifying home’s value under the district’s adjusted base-year homestead exemption could rise no higher than its 2025 assessed value. A yes vote approves the cap, and a no vote leaves the current rules in place.
The cap covers assessed value for school taxes only. It would not lock in a homeowner’s total bill, since tax rates and other factors still shape what is owed each year.
Election Day is Nov. 3, and early voting is underway across Georgia.
Section: More Savannah GA politics news
Filed under: Savannah GA Politics News
