The Athens-Clarke County Democratic Committee voted last week to support renewing a 1% sales tax for local school construction and equipment that’s on the ballot in Clarke County this Tuesday.
ESPLOST 6 would fund the reconstruction of Clarke Middle School, improvements at Cedar Shoals High School and Gaines Elementary School, athletic facilities at both high schools, digital devices and new school buses, among other projects. It is expected to raise $120 million over five years.
“I can attest to the positive impact ESPLOST has had for students and staff,” said Jason Pratt, a teacher at Hilsman Middle School and the ACCDC’s vice chair for communications. “Our previous building was crammed, had outdoor portable classrooms and dated infrastructure. The new Hilsman Middle School building funded by ESPLOST is spacious, visually appealing and equipped with the infrastructure needed for students to get the quality education they each deserve.”
Pratt said the committee considered the argument that sales taxes are regressive, but was swayed by the fact that 60% of sales taxes collected locally are paid by nonresidents.
The ACCDC also heard from guest speaker Andrew Malec at its Oct. 28 meeting. Malec is a member of the Community Oversight Committee that meets monthly with the Clarke County School District’s director of facilities, John Gilbreath, to go over construction plans and financial information.
“We hear about how each project is going, whether it’s in an active construction phase, design phase or preliminary planning and evaluation phase,” Malec said in a news release. “We receive budget audits on each project, updates on tax money collected monthly and discuss any issues that arise with each project. We also have the opportunity to ask questions, weigh in on any concerns and provide constructive feedback and suggestions to the management team when it’s needed.
“Having been a committee member for two and a half years, and having over 20 years of experience in the construction industry, I have full confidence in the work we are doing to update and improve our school facility infrastructure. Beyond that, I now know that the ESPLOST money generated over the last 25 years has contributed towards creating some of the nicest school facilities in the state, and I am a firm supporter of continuing that trend by voting yes for ESPLOST 6.”
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