School Considers New SPLOST

New superintendent of schools, Gene Trammell’s first board meeting sounded very much like the current political discourse taking place in our nation’s capitol.

Mr. Trammell presented his new board with a bold idea to tackle some needed projects and the board seemed to say, yes, that sounds good ,but whoa! How do we pay for completing our vision of a new middle school, updated offices, a baseball field at the high school, softball fields where needed, put other projects in place, keep our promise to the voters and pay off our debt obligations as well?

According to School Board guests Frank King and Tom Owen from the firm of Morgan Keegan, financial management advisors who assist with planning and implementing SPLOST referendums, “the Jasper County Board of Education has a window of opportunity to create a small bond that could raise the revenue needed to complete and or start construction on some of the system’s stated goals.”

This window of opportunity would require the BOE to pass a resolution by August 20 to renew the SPLOST or increase the bond levy to meet the payment of the bond debt. The current SPLOST ends in September of 2010.
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Mr. King told the board that the Jasper County Board of Education ranks 10 in the state for finalists who have successfully used SPLOST funds to address critical capital outlay needs and offset construction cost inflation.

The current SPLOST ends in September, 2010 and voting early to renew eliminates a lapse in collections and an 18 month time frame is needed to put a new E-SPLOST in place. At a previous work session the board had voted tentatively to increase the FY 2010 Maintenance and Operations millage needs to 14.43 mills of the tax digest noting that this second levy of tax would help to meet bond obligations and provide funds for the operation of Jasper County’s public schools.

The new rate was officially voted on and approved by a unanimous vote (member Paul Kelly was absent) of the board. Also voted on and approved was FY 2010 Debt Service millage needs at a levy tax of 0.90 mills.

Chairwoman Phyllis Norwood told the presenters, “you have given us a lot to consider and many factors would require us to have work sessions in order to reach a decision that would be best for the community.” Mr. Trammell suggested a called meeting to work out the details of how the BOE should move forward.

Under much discussion was how to implement the latest mandate from the Governors office to do another five percent budget cut in education. The state recommends that three days be cut from the teacher’s work days during the time they are not with students.

Mr. Trammell suggested the cut be made by taking 3 of the 4 planning days and added further that he would meet with the school principals to work out the details on how to meet this requirement.

In other matters, the board approved new personnel which includes the wife of our district state representative Jim Cole as a third grade teacher at Washington Park, Karen Cortes, first grade teacher at the Primary School and Juanita Campbell Mercer, special ed teacher at the Middle School.

The Primary School was among the big gains in the state’s AYP yearly progress reports. Statewide more than 79 percent of schools made AYP for FY 2009. The Primary School also has the distinction of being the only school in our system to meet all the requirements for 11 consecutive years. In other business the BOE accepted bids for bread from Sara Lee and milk from Mayfield Dairies.