Daulton Harris for District 1 BOE

09/28/2026

A little personal update for everyone who has continued following this page.

Although the school board race is behind me, my desire to serve the people in this community didn’t end with an election.

I’ve recently joined Georgia Financial Advisors and am currently studying for my Series 65. Once I pass, I’ll be working as an independent financial advisor with the firm. I’m excited to continue building on my background in finance, which includes my degree in Economics, nearly two years working alongside a local financial advisor, and earning my SIE, Series 6, Series 63, and insurance licenses.

One group I especially want to serve is our local teachers and school employees.

During the campaign, I had the opportunity to talk with a lot of educators and school employees about their careers and the challenges they face. Those conversations only increased my respect for the people who spend their careers serving our kids and our community.

My goal is to help teachers and school employees understand and maximize the benefits available to them, make the most of their investments, and build a financial plan that puts them in a position to retire on time and live comfortably when they get there.

Whether someone is just beginning their career, has been teaching for 15 or 20 years, or can finally see retirement on the horizon, I want to help make the financial side of that journey easier to understand.

I’ll also be working with small-business owners, families, and people approaching retirement, but helping educators and school employees is something I’m particularly passionate about.

From time to time, I plan to use this page to share useful information about retirement, employee benefits, investing, and financial planning—especially information that may be helpful to the teachers and staff who serve our local schools.

I’m excited about this next chapter and another opportunity to serve the people in the community I call home.

First things first—I’ve got a Series 65 to pass. Back to studying. 😂

09/02/2026

EFFINGHAM COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION — ELECTIONS

District 1 — Lynn Anderson
🗳️ Next election: 2030

District 2 — Jan Landing
🗳️ Next election: 2028

District 3 — Troy Allen
🗳️ Next election: 2028

District 4 — Ben Johnson
🗳️ Next election: 2030

District 5 — Vickie Decker
🗳️ Next election: 2028

➡️ 2028: Districts 2, 3 & 5
➡️ 2030: Districts 1 & 4

📣🍽Big news for Effingham County School District families!
Starting Tuesday, September 8.

OpenAI is covering all student breakfast and lunch costs for the 2026/27 school year through Project Camellia Community Commitment.

This $4.8 million grant delivers direct financial relief straight to families. As ECSD Nutritional Services Coordinator Jessica O’Leary shared, with daily expenses rising for so many families, knowing that your child receives a healthy meal gives parents one less thing to worry about while ensuring every student is nourished and ready to learn.

This initiative is one part of OpenAI's $80 million community commitment to Effingham County. From local organization grants to new parks and recreation facilities, your feedback determines where funding goes next.
Have your say and rank your community priorities today: https://projectcamellia.com/community-investment

Blandford Elementary School Blue Jays Ebenezer Elementary Creekside Elementary School Guyton Elementary School Marlow Elementary School Rincon Elementary School South Effingham Elementary Springfield Elementary School Sand Hill Elementary School South Effingham Middle School Effingham County Middle School Ebenezer Middle School Effingham County Rebels SEHSmustangs Effingham College & Career Academy EnCompass Academy Crossroads Academy Honey Ridge Agricenter
Effingham County Industrial Development Authority Effingham County GA Board of Commissioners Effingham Chamber of Commerce Effingham Talks Effingham Premier Effingham Herald

08/25/2026

So now we’re supposed to celebrate 6 mills and forget everything that just happened?

We’re talking about a $20+ BILLION project being dropped into Effingham County. Thousands of acres. Massive power demand. New infrastructure. More development. More people. More pressure on housing, roads, schools, and public services.

And after weeks of people raising hell about the lack of transparency, suddenly we’re being handed roughly 6 mills of tax relief and told what a great deal this is?

I’m sorry, but 6 mills isn’t enough to make me stop asking questions.

How much revenue will this project actually generate? How much are we giving up through abatements and incentives? How long does this tax relief last? What happens after the land-sale money is gone? And what will the long-term cost of supporting this development be?

Show us the math.

Because from where I’m sitting, this feels less like an answer to the public’s concerns and more like an attempt to throw taxpayers a bone and hope everybody shuts up.

Six mills doesn’t buy my silence.

$20 billion deserves a hell of a lot more accountability than that.

08/22/2026

THE MILLAGE RATE WENT DOWN — BUT DON’T EXPECT YOUR TAX BILL TO NECESSARILY GO DOWN.

I want to clarify my earlier post because this distinction matters.

The Effingham County Board of Education lowered the millage rate from 18.45 mills to 18.018 mills, about a 2.34% reduction.

That sounds like a tax cut. But 18.018 is the rollback rate.

The rollback rate is calculated to account for increases in property values from reassessments. In simple terms: if property values go up, the millage rate can come down while the school system still collects roughly the same amount of tax revenue from the existing tax base.

So yes, the millage rate was lowered.

But if your taxable property value increased, don’t assume your actual school property tax bill is going to be lower. For many taxpayers, the reduction in the rate may simply offset some or all of the increase in taxable value.

I’m glad the rate didn’t remain at 18.45 mills, but we need to understand the difference between lowering the millage rate and lowering the taxes people actually pay.

As always, pay attention to the numbers and not just the headlines.

08/22/2026

Well, at least we got this far. A lower millage rate is a win for Effingham taxpayers.

But it still doesn’t explain the NDAs signed by members of our Board of Education regarding the proposed data center, or the tax abatement the project received.

We’ll keep asking questions and pushing for transparency.

𝗧𝗮𝘅𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗮𝘀 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗟𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗲
After two years of increases, Effingham County Schools has lowered its millage rate as the tax digest grows. Here’s what the change means for local property taxpayers.
https://www.effinghamherald.net/local/effingham-county-schools-lower-millage-rate-to-18018-mills-2027-budget-rollback/

07/25/2026

Please consider showing up Monday night.

This event is being hosted by local Democrats. I am not a Democrat, but I will be in attendance. And I’m encouraging Republicans, independents, and anyone else concerned about the future of Effingham County to be there too.

So far, they are the only group I’ve seen organize a public discussion specifically about how we can fight this project, what options we still have, and how we can get organized. I wish an issue this important wasn’t attached to any political party, because I don’t believe national political identity should dictate what is best for Effingham County.

Don’t stay home simply because the other party organized the meeting. Show up. Ask questions. Bring information. Speak your mind. Disagree when you disagree. We need reasonable people from across the political spectrum in that room.

This is bigger than Republican vs. Democrat. This is about Effingham County and the people who have to live with the decisions being made here.

I’ll be there Monday at 6:00. I hope you’ll join me.