SPLOST Renewal, COVID-19, Pay Increase: Cherokee School Board

CANTON, GA — The Cherokee County School Board at its meeting on Sept. 16, reviewed plans for the Education SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) up for renewal by voters in the Nov. 2 election.

The Cherokee County School District, for the past 24 years, has used a 1-percent Education SPLOST to fund capital improvement projects, which include constructing new schools and facilities and renovating existing ones; funding technology infrastructure; buying school buses; and purchasing land for future schools.

Since the initial recommendation from a Blue Ribbon Committee made up of community leaders to begin the Education SPLOST to support schools, the community has voted to continue the penny sales tax.

Voters are being asked in the Nov. 2 election, with early voting beginning Oct. 12, to continue the existing Education SPLOST for another five years to fund needed projects. The district's enrollment has grown from 24,400 to approximately 42,000 students over the Education SPLOST’s existence, and Cherokee County has constructed 19 new schools among the many projects completed during that time.

If voters renew the existing Education SPLOST this fall, the district will use the proceeds to:

• Continue retiring bond debt from past rapid construction, which will continue to prevent the need to increase property taxes by 5 mills to pay the district’s “mortgage”
• Build a new/replacement Cherokee High School near the new Teasley Middle School campus
• Build a new/replacement Free Home Elementary School near the current campus
• Build classroom additions and a second gymnasium at Creekview High School
• Build classroom additions at Woodstock High School
• Build classroom additions at Creekland Middle School
• Build classroom additions at Oak Grove Elementary School STEAM Academy
• Build a second gymnasium at River Ridge High School
• Renovate various schools and campuses, including athletics facilities at Etowah High School and Sequoyah High School, to improve safety and efficiency and reduce operational costs
• Purchase school buses to replace aging buses
• Construct much-needed professional development/training facilities for teachers and support staff
• Maintain technology infrastructure
• Purchase land for future school sites

The proposed maximum of $290 million in new bonds for these projects would be issued over a five-year period from 2023 to 2027, and this “mortgage” would be paid in full by August 2038. The proposed project list also would generate an additional $43.56 million in state reimbursements for the district based on Georgia’s public school construction funding formula.

“This is a continuation of our existing sales tax, and it’s a consumption tax that everyone pays for,” School Board Chair Kyla Cromer said. “When you see license plates from other counties and states at the outlet mall, they’re helping the Ed SPLOST.”

Superintendent Brian Hightower noted that, including the Education SPLOST, the county’s total sales tax is a competitive 6 percent - the lowest in Georgia. If property taxes were used instead of the Education SPLOST, it would require an immediate increase of 5 mills on every tax bill, and all new construction, technology updates and bus purchases would come to a halt.

Woodstock Mayor Donnie Henriques is again leading community efforts to support the renewal as the Education SPLOST committee chairman. Brian Albrecht, president and CEO of Credit Union of Georgia and a Cherokee Schools alumnus, is serving as the treasurer.

The School Board also paid tribute to a longtime educator retiring after 28 years of service in the district. Adrian Thomason, Cherokee Schools’ executive director for middle school and high school certified staffing, began his career in Cobb County as a classroom teacher. He joined Cherokee County as a teacher, then served as an assistant principal and as principal at Dean Rusk Middle School and at Creekview High School until taking on his current role in 2016. His wife, Lori, is a retired Cherokee County teacher.

“Adrian has dedicated his career to serving our community’s children and their teachers, and we’re so thankful he choose CCSD,” Hightower said, describing him as a “great encourager.” “We’re going to miss his expertise and the great care he shows for everyone he supports, and we wish him the best in his retirement.”

Hightower also noted an important absence from the agenda – thanks to efficient and planful budgeting, the district avoided the need to issue Tax Anticipation Notices this fall for short-term borrowing to bridge the gap until local property tax revenue arrives. This avoidance means that Cherokee Schools will not need to pay the associated interest for this borrowing.

The School Board also took the following action:

COVID-19 Update

Heard a monthly report on COVID-19 cases among district students and staff, which have decreased to 228 as of Sept. 16 from a peak of more than 800 earlier this school year. Cherokee Schools' cases also make up a smaller percentage of Cherokee County’s overall cases, at 28 percent as compared to other counties in Georgia and nationwide where schools make up 60 percent or more of cases. As a result of both declining cases and increased interest in substitute teaching, the district’s substitute teacher pool has grown to more than 700 and the fill rate has increased to an 89 percent average without the use of the emergency plan to pull staff from the central office. Transportation staffing also has improved, with full-time bus driver positions all filled plus nine contingency drivers hired to serve as permanent substitutes, with additional contingency drivers in the training process.

Pay Increase

Heard an update from Hightower on plans to increase hourly rates for School Nutrition full-time workers, part-time workers and substitutes as well as After School Program workers and ExP extended learning program workers as a result of a market study rate. The impact will be budget neutral due to increased student meal purchases and participation in After School Program and increased federal reimbursements for meals and services.

Cherokee Students Increase SAT Scores, Outscore State

Heard a report on the SAT scores for the class of 2021 released by the College Board last week, which show a 25 point increase from last year’s district wide average.

Police Department Earns State Recognition

Recognized the Cherokee Schools Police Department for earning State Certified Agency renewal. Cherokee Schools is one of only five school police departments in the state to hold this certification.

Indian Knoll Elementary Named Microsoft Showcase School

Recognized Indian Knoll Elementary School as a 2021-22 Microsoft Showcase School. Only 38 schools were selected as Showcase Schools, and Indian Knoll Elementary is the only school in Georgia named to this year’s list.