CCSD : School Board Reviews Plans For Education SPLOST Renewal

Press release from Cherokee County School District:

Friday, September 17, 2021

The Cherokee County School Board at its regular meeting on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, 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 Ed 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 October 12, to continue the existing Ed SPLOST for another five years to fund needed projects. CCSD enrollment has grown from 24,400 to approximately 42,000 students over the Ed SPLOST’s existence, and CCSD has constructed 19 new schools among the many projects completed during that time.

If voters renew the existing Ed SPLOST this fall, CCSD will use the proceeds to:

The proposed maximum of $290 Million in new bonds for these projects would be issued over a five-year period (2023-2027), 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 CCSD 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 of Schools Dr. Brian V. Hightower noted that, including the Ed SPLOST, the county’s total sales tax is a competitive 6% -- the lowest in Georgia. If property taxes were used instead of the Ed 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 CCSD alum, is serving as the treasurer.

The School Board also paid tribute to a longtime educator retiring after 28 years of service in CCSD. Dr. Adrian Thomason, CCSD’s executive director for middle school and high school certified staffing, began his career in Cobb County as a classroom teacher. He joined CCSD 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 CCSD teacher.

“Adrian has dedicated his career to serving our community’s children and their teachers, and we’re so thankful he choose CCSD,” Dr. 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.”

Dr. Hightower also noted an important absence from the agenda – thanks to efficient and planful budgeting, CCSD 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 CCSD will not need to pay the associated interest for this borrowing.

The School Board also took the following action:

This press release was produced by Cherokee County School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.