School coffers enriched by Duke tax bundle

Financial accounts of the Oconee School District were enriched this week by the deposit of nearly $26 million dollars from the total amount Duke Energy paid last month to settle its 2021 county property tax bills.  Gloria Moore, finance director for the public schools, says she was notified by the county treasurer’s office that $20,358,945 dollars was allocated for school operations; $5,454,860 dollars, for school debt service. Moore shares these thoughts about the predicament in which the school district would find itself if there were no Duke tax payments:  “If there were no Duke Power, the district would get more state funding, but not enough to offset what we get from Duke.  That would mean that the tax rates for the county would have to increase AND the district would have to cut expenses.  You know the majority of our expenses are in people; so it makes sense that reductions would come from staffing.  Thankfully, Duke has renewed its license.”