Griffin Spalding County School System E-SPLOST VI

E-SPLOST VI

What is Education-SPLOST?Top of Page

Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (eSPLOST)

A significant funding source for capital improvements (e.g. new construction, facility improvements, technology upgrades, etc.) which can ONLY be used for educational purposes
A one penny sales tax funded by anyone buying goods in the county, regardless of where they live

Education SPLOST VI Project VideoTop of Page

Grow with GSCS E-SPLOST VI Campaign Announces Committee MembersTop of Page

September 12, 2019

For Immediate Release

GRIFFIN - The "Grow with GSCS" Education SPLOST (special purpose local option sales tax) Campaign, comprised of volunteers with an interest in supporting the renewal of the one-penny SPLOST to fund education projects, has announced the following committee members:

Quimby Melton, III - Chair
Harvey Booker
Carmen Caldwell
Richard Henry
Dave Lamb
Judy Parker
Michael Renew

Melton is a former educator from Griffin High School. "Education and children are the top priority within our Griffin-Spalding Community. This penny will raise over $46 million for the needs of our educational system and safety of our children," said Melton. "We look forward to explaining this Education Special Local Option Sales Tax in meetings during the next few weeks. This is not a new tax but rather a continuation of the previous eSPLOST. No new taxes are being asked of voters for our school system."

The e-SPLOST project list includes renovations for Spalding High School, Cowan Road and Kennedy middle schools, Anne Street, Futral Road, Moreland Road elementary schools, Taylor Street Campus/Auditorium/Gym Renovation, Transportation Facility, Instructional Technology (including the 1:1 Chromebook Initiative, Computer Refresh Cycle, EPIC System, and Security Assessment Work), School Buses, and safety and security projects (including camera systems, security doors, keypad/key card doors, intercom systems, and generators).

The total amount of the E-SPLOST VI project list is $46,900,000.

The Griffin-Spalding County Board of Education voted unanimously at its July 23 regular meeting to approve a resolution calling for the renewal of its one-penny E-SPLOST for education purposes. The current e-SPLOST V cycle ends June 30, 2020.

The referendum will go before Spalding County voters on Nov. 5, 2019. Early voting begins October 14.

Education SPLOST VI ProjectsTop of Page

Facilities

Renovation/Modification of:

Anne Street Elementary $449,327

Futral Road Elementary $2,375,059

Moreland Road Elementary $2,976,675

Cowan Road Middle School $5,143,084

Kennedy Road Middle School $2,678,457

Spalding High School $15,598,148

Taylor St. Campus $2,752,247

Total Cost: $ 31,972,997

Transportation

Bus Replacement: Allows for the purchase of 5 to 8 new buses per operational year (30 total). The purchased units will serve the needs of both general education and special education students. The purchased units will replace aging vehicles in the current fleet. The targeted replacement cycle will reduce the average of the current daily bus fleet to 8 years by 2024. For the first time, the purchased units will include air conditioning on new general education buses.

Total Cost: $2,868,714

Bus Shop Replacement: The current facility used for the maintenance and repair of all GSCS school buses was built in 1962 and no longer meets the needs of the district. The proposed new facility will provide: additional vehicle bays, hydraulic lifts, additional indoor storage for all mechanical systems and fluids, an expended parts room and adequate restrooms and personal space for our bus technicians and our bus drivers. The proposed project will provide the needed amount of parking space for buses and for the personal vehicles of all transportation employees. The project will result in a much safer and comfortable workspace for our bus technicians and our bus drivers.

Total Cost: $2,700,000

Technology

The Chromebook 1:1 Project: This will replaces older Chromebooks in our district and provides each student in the district, K-12, a Chromebook for class plus the opportunity for students to take devices home to extend the learning day. This also provides the district with the opportunity to use digital learning days for students during teacher work days as well as during school closures due to inclement weather.

The Computer Refresh Project: This supports ongoing programs in our district that require specialized devices, such as our CTAE and Amp-IT-Up courses. The refresh will also help keep current teacher and staff computers.

The Epic System: This system bridges together all of the technology components that teachers use in the classroom into one manageable system that they can access through their computer. Also, Epic integrates the security features provided through Audio Enhancement into a visible alert system. With Epic, when a teacher initiates a classroom alert through Audio Enhancement, the alert is now visible to the front office staff and can be managed through the Epic portal.

Securing Intermediate and Main Distribution Frames: This helps protect all users when online as well as securing the integrity of the network, our network distribution frames will be reconfigured to be housed in an enclosed cabinet and secured with locks. Securing these distribution frames is one step in the district's cyber security assessment aimed at protecting the data of all our users.

Total Cost: $6,304,318

Safety & Security

Over the past two years, we have worked closely with our local Law Enforcement Agencies, Emergency Management Agency as well as GEMA and Homeland Security. Through this work, we have identified areas of greatest need such as security cameras, security door systems, emergency generators and intercom systems to make sure we have our campuses as safe as possible.