School Officials Take SPLOST Plan To Voters

officials are beginning to share with voters a plan to make upgrades and repairs to schools, who will decide this November whether to extend a 1 percent sales tax to fund construction projects.

The sales tax, also known as the E- program, was approved by voters three previous times in 1997, 2002 and 2007. It generated close to $300 million to help the school district build new schools, fix others and equip classrooms for the 21^st Century.

Under the SPLOST law, local schools may use the revenue to buy land, pay for construction or cover the interest on debt. They can't spend the money on salaries or other operating costs.

The three SPLOST programs have helped the district improve school facilities considerably. But the district still has to make several other changes to improve the academic environment for all children and schools in the district, according to Bill Mitchell, the District's project manager in facility, planning and construction. He talked Monday with people at a meeting of the Athens Federation of Neighborhoods.

If voters approve the sales tax on Nov. 8, the school district would receive a projected $105 million over the next five years, Mitchell said.

“I've got to assume either (the next SPLOST) is going to pass or it's not going to pass,” Mitchell said. “And, when you look at the condition of all of our schools, I decided that it's probably going to pass.”

Mitchell held meetings with parents, teachers and administrators in every school this year. He also consulted a report on the quality and life expectancy of school buildings from several architecture firms before coming up with a list of the district's needs.

SPLOST plans are specific to each school in the district, and are flexible so that anyone can call their local principal to get involved in the decision-making process and give input into the vision of each school, he said.

“You end up, of course, with a budget that's a lot more than you're going to take in,” Mitchell said. “We ended up with about $183 million dollars.”

Among some of the most important projects currently being proposed for the upcoming SPLOST are two new elementary schools – one school known as the Westside Elementary School, to be located off Jefferson River Road, and Maxine P. Easom Elementary, to be built where the old Gaines School stands today on Gaines School Road.

The opening of the two schools by 2013 would help the school district cut-down on trailers in highly populated schools like , and elementary schools, which serve close to 600 students each.

, and Road elementary schools would be renovated and built like new, and some older portions of Clarke Central High School would be restored and its campus expanded.

One visitor, Clarke County resident Jim Geiser, who lost his bid for a seat on the school board, sends his children to a neighboring public school district. He asked officials why voters should feel compelled to approve the SPLOST plan when 12 percent of Clarke County children attend private schools or schools outside of the county.

“I'm one of those people who wants to support the school system and to pay taxes,” Geiser said. “I'm just saying does it concern you that maybe these people might say maybe our tax dollars may be spent better doing something currently in our schools?”

Charlie Maddox, who is serving on a SPLOST citizen's committee, said the facility improvements are necessary and in the long-run will help students academically.

“In the environment we are in now, the best we can do is provide the facilities, the state-of-the art, the best that we can for them,” Maddox said. “I've seen the difference that it makes with these kids with what's available in these settings. It makes a tremendous difference...It's more than bricks and mortar."

As a member of the SPLOST citizen's committee, Maddox and seven other members will spend the next few months meeting with school groups and voters urging them to approve the next SPLOST referendum.

“We, the team, the(SPLOST) committee have looked at this and we are on board. And we believe that it does what it says as presented and believe it is what our community needs,” Maddox said.