By PAT NEWMAN
Staff Writer

A grass roots effort by Fayette County parents and citizens pushing for passage of a $90 million special local option sales tax and bond referendum Sept. 21 is taking shape.

A steering committee called Fayette Citizens for Continued Excellence in Education, the official name submitted to the secretary of state, has organized and will launch its pro-SPLOST campaign in about two weeks with a barrage of brochures, speakers, mail-outs and telephoning aimed at informing voters about the proposed tax and the key needs of the schools, which include more classrooms, improved technology and security devices.

Heading the group are Janet Smola, a Tyrone resident, parent and fund raiser for the Joseph Sams School, and Don Apking, a Fayetteville parent and president of the Fayette County High Booster Club. Treasurer is Connie Leary, a Peachtree City parent whose children attend Huddleston Elementary.

They will be guided by Todd Barnes of A.G. Edwards financial group, one of the bond advisers working with the Board of Education on the SPLOST/bond initiative. “We need to go after the positive and organize properly at the grass roots level,” Apking told those assembled Friday morning. The overwhelming feeling of the group is that the facts are so positive, that any negative aspects of the referendum will be overshadowed.

According to Barnes, the number of votes needed to pass the SPLOST are “not as much as you think. There are currently 50,478 registered voters in the county. Historically, there is a 15 percent to 20 percent turnout for a special referendum, based on statewide observations. “In Fayette County, you can expect a slightly higher turnout,” Barnes predicted.

A 25 percent turnout would bring in 12,620 voters. Barnes estimated that for a 60 percent or better “yes” vote, only 7,572 votes would be needed. “Within the network, you've got the votes,” Barnes said, referring to the number of school district employees, which totals 3,500, plus their spouses. Six hundred Realtors also have pledged to support the tax.

Fayette school superintendent Dr. John DeCotis reviewed the highlights of the sales tax effort, carefully giving only facts, because state law prohibits school employees or members of the board from actively campaigning for passage of the referendum.

Passage of the tax would provide 300 classrooms or space for 5,000 additional students, property for two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school, playground improvements, electrical and technology upgrades at existing schools, a new auditorium for Sandy Creek High School, stadium improvements at Fayette County High School, concession stand, lockers and bleachers, plus rest rooms at Starr's Mill and major renovations at McIntosh, including a new physical education building and upgrades to the existing stadium.

The SPLOST calls for a one-cent sales tax to be levied starting Jan. 1, and the sale of $50 million in bonds to provide the funds to begin the proposed projects simultaneously. The bonds will be repaid through the money generated through the sales tax. The tax ends in five years or when the school board collects $90 million, whichever occurs first.