Friday, June 24, 2005

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School SPLOST wins by landslide

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

The results even stunned some of Coweta County’s school officials.

“I had been hearing a lot of positive things about the vote, but I didn’t imagine it would win by that big a margin,” said Public Information Officer Dean Jackson.

Jackson is referring to Tuesday’s SPLOST extension vote for new school construction and renovation. The final tally was 3,062 votes for extending the penny sales tax and 597 voting against it. The 83 percent to 17 percent margin of victory was stunning to School Board Chairman Mitch Powell.

“The overwhelming support of the vote was humbling. The vote seemed to confirm community support for the goals of the 2007-2012 ELOST of building three ninth-grade campuses at our three high schools, keeping up with future growth with improvements at our existing schools (such as at Ruth Hill and Eastside), and building three new elementary schools and a seventh middle school in the years to come,” Powell said in a press release this week.

Powell also praised the efforts of his fellow board members and administration in getting the measure passed.

“The vote also seemed to be a show of confidence in the school board and the administration. This wouldn't have happened without the strong support and confidence of citizens who voted and who worked to get out the vote,” he said.

The sales tax extension is expected to generate more than $130 million over a five year period for new construction and renovations at the county’s schools.

Included in the projects are improvements at each of the schools and classroom expansions, three elementary Schools, one middle School, three ninth-grade campuses for the high schools, and new buses.

Jackson said most of that work will take place over the 2007-2012 lifetime of the extended tax, but up to $58 million in general obligation bonds can be issued to finance land for and build two new elementary schools, build the ninth-grade campuses, build an addition to Eastside elementary, and other improvements to existing schools before the tax begins in 2007.

Superintendent Blake Bass was also thrilled the residents threw their support behind education.

“The support for ELOST seemed to show broad community support for the building program that the last and current ELOST has allowed, and for following the list of priority projects outlined for the current ELOST.  The sales tax has allowed us to make improvements at every school in the county over the last eight years and build several new elementary and middle schools. Most importantly, Coweta County could not provide its students with a first-class education without having good schools and adequate space for learning.  Voters' approval of the ELOST means that our county will be able to continue providing excellent schools and educational facilities for a fast-growing student population without incurring long-term debt and without solely burdening homeowners to do so,” Bass said.