Friday, March 22, 2002
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Friday, March 22, 2002 |
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SPLOST gets huge win
By JOHN
THOMPSON
Fulton County voters gave a resounding yes to extending a percent sales tax to help fund cpaital projects for the school system. Voters approved the extension by a more than 2-1 margin. With all precincts reporting, 14,294 voters voted for the extension, while 6.842 voted against it. The results are a big win for the Fulton County School System, who plans to use the estimated $670 million over the next five years to renovate existing schools and build new ones. Earlier this year, the Fulton County Commission approved a resolution supporting the extension of a 1 percent tax to help improve Fulton County and Atlanta public schools. The measure was supported bty the Fulton County Commission and several municipalities in the county. The extended one percent sales tax will raise an estimated $1.2 billion in total funds. Of that total, the Fulton County School System would receive approximately $670 million and the Atlanta School System would receive about $521 million. The school system has identified several projects that would be funded by the tax, including: Three new elementary schools. Four new middle schools. Three new high schools. Major additions at two elementary schools and one high school. Additional classroom capacity for 1,000 students. Renovations at existing schools. Debt reduction. The school system estimates more than 12,000 new students will stream into the county during the next five years. During the last five years, the system has completed 12 new schools and is in the process of finishing five more, including the new elementary school in Union City.
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