Fulton county voters on March 20 showed overwhelming support of the third incarnation of the county school board’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
Voters passed SPLOST III with a majority vote of 80.3 percent in the special election.
The tax, however is not new. The vote merely signaled the continuation of the 1-cent tax that has already been in place for 10 years. The new SPLOST will continue for another five years. The revenue generated will be used for capital improvements such as new schools, school additions and renovations, debt relief, safety enhancements, technology upgrades and transportation.
Across the district, SPLOST is expected to fund seven new elementary schools, three new middle schools, four new high schools and eleven school additions.
Voters in the City of Atlanta also passed a third SPLOST that is expected to generate roughly $550 million for a series of specific improvements to the district’s schools. Major renovations are planned at 16 elementary school, seven middle and four high schools.
E. Rivers Elementary School and North Atlanta High School are two Buckhead schools included in the list of buildings that will receive specific improvements from the City of Atlanta SPLOST revenues.
Major renovations are expected at 27 schools, including 16 elementary schools, seven middle schools and four high schools. General improvements include increasing capacity needs and improving security.
–Katie Fallon