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Marching Mustangs in tune, in step
SEHS takes Grand Champion crown
Seniors
Sean McBride and the SEHS Marching Mustangs seniors show off their hardware. - photo by Photo by Calli Arnold
A Friday afternoon with 137 high school band students in one room rarely seems like anything other than chaos.
 
But on command, the cacophony of voices speaking over each other, instruments tuning and equipment shifting halts for instructions to file on a bus to the last South Effingham High School Mustangs’ football game, the night before the statewide band contest that would soon cap this five-contest season as the Marching Mustangs’ most successful to date.
 
“Everything that we’ve been working toward, we’ve accomplished so far, and we’re gonna see if it will ultimately lead to the top goal,” Josey Jimenez, 16, said that afternoon as she and fellow senior and drum major Charlee Hogan, 17, reflected on their hopes for the last contest of their high school careers, the Georgia Marching Band Series Finals.
 

For the complete story, see Friday's edition of the Effingham Herald.
Effingham School Board Approves $203M budget with Potential Property Tax Increase
2026 budget
This chart illustrates how the Effingham County School District’s $203 million general fund is allocated for fiscal year 2026, including spending on salaries, benefits, transportation, health services, and safety and security. (Courtesy of Effingham School District)
The Effingham County Board of Education approved a $203 million fiscal year 2026 budget Thursday night, reflecting an 11% increase over last year. The rise is largely due to an $8 million spike in health and retirement benefit costs for employees. To help cover the shortfall, the district may raise the property tax millage rate, potentially increasing homeowners’ taxes by up to 12 percent.
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