If the education SPLOST passes, the monies will be split between the Gordon County School district and Calhoun City Schools based on the number of students; according to an April state Full Time Equivalent count, the Calhoun system had 3,237 students, while the county had 6,453 students, making up 33.4 percent and 66.6 percent of the ESPLOST designations, respectively.
This is a five-year SPLOST, which would take effect in July 2012 for both school systems.
Total ESPLOST collections for both county and city systems can reach up to $59.5 million, said City Schools Financial Director Don Hood, with the city schools receiving roughly $19.8 million and $39.6 million going to county school projects. City schools may pursue $33 million in bonds to support projects covered by the next proposed ESPLOST and to pay existing bond debts; a final number has yet to be determined.
City school board members agreed Monday to apply to the state for a QSCB (Qualified School Construction Bond) allocation to fund their portion of the ESPLOST.
The application must be completed by August; county school board members have yet to decide whether they will apply to the state for a QSCB; the system will need $25 million in bonds to fund its portion of the ESPLOST, according to a school system written referendum.
Money from the upcoming ESPLOST round, should it meet with voter approval, should cover the bonds the county system plans to borrow, County Schools Finance Director Gail Farriba said.
The county schools’ ESPLOST priority project list includes nearly $64.3 million in proposed projects, Farriba said.
The number is “much more than we could ever collect,” she explained; the projects are listed in order of priority, and the school system will simply ask for another ESPLOST continuation in order to finish the projects after the money from the upcoming round runs out, she said.
Bonds for both systems will be up for a vote in November, along with the ESPLOST.
The November ESPLOST as well as two more ESPLOST rounds, will be needed to repay the city system’s bonds. Bryce Holcomb of Citigroup said he estimated a 16-17 year repayment period.
The city’s other option was to apply for tax-exempt bonds that would need to be repaid with November’s ESPLOST plus three more ESPLOST rounds over about 20 years, Holcomb explained.
QSCBs, according to Holcomb, are authorized through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
City school board members did not vote on a specific amount of money Monday; Holcomb said he was still unsure if the system should pursue all $33 million of the proposed amount or only part. According to state guidelines, QSCB funds must be used within three years.
A request will be submitted to the state after school officials have time to make a decision on the amount – somewhere between $20 million and $33 million.
If voters approve both the ESPLOST and QSCB, the city school system will be able to borrow the QSCBs “at or near a 0 interest rate,” Holcomb said.
QSCBs do come with drawbacks, namely federal wage requirements, he said, but these limitations are “fairly negligible as it stands now,” and the pros outweigh the cons.
Congress created the QSCB option last year.
“This program is only going to be around for another year, unless congress extends it,” Holcomb said.
“I think a perfect opportunity has coincided with a perfect need,” said board member Eddie Hall. “The expense (for proposed ESPLOST projects) could be drastically more were the federal funds not available.”
ESPOLST proposed projects
Funds generated by the sales tax will help Gordon County Schools with the construction of a $14 million new middle school in the Red Bud area that has approximately $9 million in advance state money already allotted from the previous SPLOST, officials stated.
Board members are budgeting $5 million for completion of the school out of the $64.3 in total SPLOST requests.
Technology upgrades and replacements throughout the system, a career academy, auditoriums, air conditioning for gyms, new gyms and buses make up $14.2 million of the request. Athletic fields and facilities are $500,000 and land purchase for future sites is $1.5 million.
Funds generated by the sales tax would help Calhoun City Schools build a new middle-high school complex in the Calhoun where the schools are currently located on South River Street.
Board members are estimating the cost to be approximately $43 million for the two schools in one complex, which would include technology upgrades, furniture, equipment and furnishings.
Financial director Don Hood said the cost of the building is a rough estimate and that the city system is still awaiting an official cost estimate from the architects.
At the time of the story, Hood did not have a price cost estimate on the track and infields, including security systems, energy management systems, heating and air conditioning systems and lighting on campuses throughout the Calhoun school system.
Other projects would include the renovation of the auditorium and computer and technology upgrades for all four schools in the system.
City schools ESPOST proposed projects
County schools ESPOST proposed projects
PLEASE do not compare the Board of Education to the county commissioners. They are NOT alike!!!!!
I am involved with the county school system and know first hand of the cuts that have been made over the last 3 years. Those positions that you folks think need to be done away with are very important. The graduation coaches have helped many at risk students graduate and for that I am thankful. It has been researched and proven that the more dropouts you have the more "CRIME" you have. They have cut some graduation coaches......there is only 1 graduation coach for Sonoraville Middle and High schools, and only 1 for Gordon Central and Ashworth. Those math coaches help many students pass the math classes they would fail otherwise including the ever present CRCT test. Please, unless you have tried to help your child with the new math they have to learn now, and I have, don't dis the coaches. There have been many positions eliminated because of cuts from state funding, and there are more cuts coming.
I love the way Sonny keeps cutting education funding, but builds a multi-million dollar horse facility in his hometown. Was that for him to run when he goes finally gets out of office??
If you haven't noticed, we have 7-9 mobile units at Sonoraville Middle School now, some at Sonoraville High School, and some at Ashwoth Middle School. Does that not tell you the schools are overcrowded and we need another middle school? Have you attended an event in one of the gyms in May or August? You can not sit there and enjoy/attend an event without smothering.
I know folks do not like to pay taxes on things that have nothing to do with them. This tax is a tax you only pay when you make purchases. But......we are not the only ones that will have to pay this tax. Travelers, shoppers from out of town, etc. also pay these taxes. If you want to gripe about something, gripe about paying taxes to fund the illegal aliens expensive cars, food stamps, homes, etc. when the elderly can't afford the food or prescriptions they need. I was in the grocery store awhile back behind a hispanic family with 3 buggies of items. They were wearing Fubu clothing and shoes, gold chains all around and when they started to pay, they pulled out a food stamp card. Then they pulled out a "roll" of $100 dollar bills to pay for what the card didn't cover. An elderly lady in the other checkout line had to put back some of her handful of groceries because she didn't have enough money to pay for them.
My point is, we as Americans will always have to pay taxes for something that has nothing to do with us or something we do not benefit from. That will never change. But please, do not deny a child an education just because.
Please share whether or not you are going to vote in favor of ESPLOST in the poll at the bottom of the story or on the homepage. They are the same poll.
Jul 22, 2010 - Savannah Morning News
“Per-student spending over the last generation (adjusted for inflation) more than doubled in Georgia, while at the same time public high school graduation rates fell.
In 1990, Georgia students were 41st in national graduation rates. 2010, we rank 46th.”
Gismo and I agree. One in eight Americans is on food stamps today. Times predicted to get tougher.
Solutions:
Consideration of SPLUSH should be delayed until the economy is growing/unemployment down.
Recommend coordination between agencies to eliminate wasteful duplication, e.g. payroll, transportation.
Sugar- SOrry to burst you bubble, but the typo is a result of poor eyesight, not frustration. My motive for supporting the ESPLOST? As I have stated again and again,
1)the kids
2)to keep property taxes down
3)to keep our community PROGRESSIVE(I know that scares some people)
4)to SAVE money by taking advantage of fed dollars that won't be there long
5) it's the right thing to do!
Sugar, hot out today, be sure and water the dogs after the walk.
The fact is that GA has seen improvments in graduation rates. And look what it says abou the "new fangled" position of graduation coach. "Earlier this year, Governor Perdue championed an initiative placing a graduation coach in each of Georgia’s high schools. The primary responsibility for each graduation coach is to identify and work with at-risk students and help them stay on track for graduation. Graduation coaches also identify, recruit and engage concerned organizations and agencies to serve in a variety of supplementary roles in their communities."
Ed5 and I disagree - sheriff's office electricity 2007 - $7000. 2009 - $68,500.
Facts are stubborn things.
Transparent SPLUSH facts upset and bewilder the Chairman's opinion! As example, operating costs not included.
Oldman's high energy interest on passing ESPLOST is very curious.
$1.4 million for an easement is odd, too. Happy golfing today Chairman.
"Georgia ranks 46th in graduation", David Pusey is Director of the Center for an Educated Georgia in Atlanta.