Textbooks are allow as an exception.

The ESPLOST might be legal, but it is not warranted.

Fiscal accountability is not the hallmark of the current Board of Education. Thus, do not throw them any bones.

I believe that this is the whole point to the “SPLOST debate.” An E-SPLOST is designed and designated only to fund major capital improvements such as land, buildings, buses and other major long life property or to retire or issue General Obligation Bonds. Per the Georgia Department of Education website, a SPLOST “cannot be used for instructional or other operational costs.” An E-SPLOST is not eligible to provide day-to-day funding of the school system. An E-SPLOST cannot be used for salaries, teaching materials or arts, music, athletic or after-school programs. The FCBOE would have the voters believe that without the SPLOST, the Fayette County school system will fall apart and that the students’ education would suffer. Not true. What we are talking about with SPLOST is only new schools or classrooms and/or major long-life equipment.

If it should become necessary to build new schools in the near future, we may have to cut in other areas in order to provide the buildings and land, but given the current economic environment, that is a big, big if. We are certainly not going to continue to see the growth boom that we have experienced over the last twenty years.

In other discussions, we have seemingly already determined that we currently have enough schools, enough buses and enough football fields to support this county. If that is true, then we don’t need SPLOST, especially in light of decreasing enrollment and a very dim growth outlook for the future.

Whether the wording on the ballot throws out the SPLOST vote is certainly a consideration if it includes a purpose as "acquiring textbooks," which is not a SPLOST function.