Decatur County votes to renew Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
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Posted at 10:55 AM, Mar 17, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-17 10:55:06-04
DECATUR COUNTY, Ga. (WTXL) â Decatur County voters passed the renewal of the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax and the Issuance of Bonds Tuesday with 550 voting in favor of the renewal, and 166 opposed. Turnout was 4.18 percent.
Districts leaders say holding on to the penny sales tax will keep schools in South Georgia going, and get them some much-needed improvements. On the average in a 5-year cycle we collect roughly $20 million, says Decatur County Schools superintendent Tim Cochran.
McDONOUGH â Polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for voters to decide whether to approve the sixth version of the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
The referendum is asking residents to allow the school district to collect as much as $325 million between January 2023 and December 2028 and to issue $210 million in general obligation bonds.
The monies will fund capital improvements throughout the district, including the construction of three new schools, one being a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics high school dedicated to those pathways.
Henry County Schools spokesman JD Hardin said the school will be similar to the Academy for Advanced Studies in that it will offer focus on a variety of STEM career fields.
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Houston County Board of Education looking to continue ESPLOST
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PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) The Houston County Board of Education wants to continue the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.
Robins Regional Chamber hosted an Eggs and Issues forum Thursday with Superintendent Dr. Mark Scott. He talked about the effectiveness of ESPLOST and how the one-cent sales tax benefits the school system.
“The ESPLOST has funded a lot of our growth of facilities,” said Dr. Scott. “It’s also allowed us to stay on top of technology purchases and bus purchases.”
Dr. Scott says they weren’t always able to use ESPLOST funds on technology and bus purchases. He says several years ago, the Georgia General Assembly gave them permission to do so.