Madison County voters will have a chance to approve a new five-year E-SPLOST in a special referendum to be held on March 21. Superintendent Dr. Allen McCannon told the board of education Tuesday night that the school system will foot the bill for the referendum, which is expected to cost between $5,000 and $6,000. He said the system will use car sales tax funds to pay for it, not taxpayer funds.
McCannon said the “vast majority” of the funds generated from the one cent sales tax, if approved, will be used to pay off the bond on the middle school and to continue to pay on the bond for the new high school.
He said voters have two choices; to renew the E-SPLOST or to deny it and face increased property taxes to pay the existing debt.
He said the E-SPLOST will also include funding for additional classrooms and plans for a fine arts center.
In other business, the BOE approved Dr. Robert Hooper as the new board chairman and Cindy Nash as the new vice-chair. The BOE also introduced new members Byron Lee and Brenda Moon.
Assistant superintendent Michael Williams reported that REACH scholars and their mentors will visit the state capitol on Jan. 25, where they will meet the governor and other REACH scholars from around the state.
He said pre-K and kindergarten registration will be held Wednesday, March 29, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday, March 30, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Williams said the school calendar committee for next year will meet again on Feb. 2 and is expected to present at least two options for the BOE to view and for parents, staff, high school students and school system staff to vote on.
He said the final calendar would be presented for the BOE to approve at their March meeting, after it runs in The Journal.
Dr. McCannon reviewed the crisis management process for all county schools during the BOE’s “teachable moment” segment. He told the board that the school system takes safety very seriously and it is always on administrators’ minds.
He said all schools must have an individual crisis plan, as required by GEMA and that all of the system meets at the end of each school year to review and reconsider their individual and collective plans. He said these meetings also include various stakeholders, including EMS workers, board of commission members, the sheriff, police departments, school administrators and GEMA representatives. Afterwards, the next school year plans are submitted to GEMA for approval.
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