Wednesday, July 17,2019
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3A
BOE votes for ESPLOST continuation
Board unanimously approves referendum to be placed on November ballot
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County Board
of Education unanimously
approved an ESPLOST VI ref-
erendum to be on the
November ballot during last
night’s meeting.
The Education Special
Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
(ESPLOST) is a 1 percent sales
tax that is utilized by Dawson
County Schools to fund capital
projects including constructing
new facilities, renovating cur
rent ones and replacing the fleet
of buses. Around 85 percent of
ESPLOST revenue is produced
by those who live outside of
Dawson County who come to
spend their dollars here.
The current tax, ESPLOST V,
was established when citizens
voted in favor of it in 2015. It is
currently set to run until
December 2020, or until a max
imum $36.5 million is collect
ed. Funds have been used for
the Performing Arts Center,
JROTC facility, the College and
Career Academy, 15 school
buses, a new roof at Robinson
Elementary School and district
wide technology infrastructure
and student iPads.
According to Financial
Director Jamie Ulrich, Dawson
County Schools is more than
$3 million ahead of projections
for the current ESPLOST,
meaning the maximum collec
tion will be reached well before
December 2020.
Superintendent Damon Gibbs
said at the July 9 meeting that
based on the current projec
tions, the maximum collection
could be reached in late spring
or early summer of 2020.
The board approved the
ESPLOST VI referendum to be
on the Nov. 5 ballot in Dawson
County with a maximum col
lection of $48 million.
The purposes of ESPLOST
2020 will be for adding, reno
vating, repairing and equipping
school buildings and facilities;
acquiring land and/or improv
ing land for school system
facilities; constructing and
equipping new educational
space; acquiring school buses,
vehicles, transportation and
maintenance equipment; pur
chasing books, digital resources
and other media; and purchas
ing technology equipment, tab
lets and laptops as well as safe
ty and security equipment.
A project list and breakdown
of where ESPLOST VI funds
will be allotted, if approved by
voters, was presented at the
meeting.
The biggest allotment of
funds is $17.5 million set aside
for facility upgrades and con
struction which includes an agri
culture facility, multi-purpose
facility and a technology facili
ty. Other funds over the next
five years include: $12 million
towards a future elementary
school on Hwy. 183, $12 mil
lion for technology upgrades, $2
million for transportation
upgrades including the purchase
of new buses, $3 million for
land acquisition and $1,280,000
for electronic media resources
and band equipment.
When ESPLOST was passed
by the Georgia legislature in
1996, it came with strict
requirements as to what it can
fund. The salaries and benefits
of school employees, which
make up 87 percent of this
year’s budget, cannot be funded
with ESPLOST.
“We get asked on a pretty
regular basis ‘why don’t we
lower the millage rate using our
ESPLOST funds?’ so I’m
going to take just a second to
remind everyone that we can’t
use ESPLOST funds to pay sal
aries and benefits,” Gibbs said.
“If we could, we would, and
we’d love to have some flexi
bility... we’ve been advocating
for that since I got here five
years ago.”
Stuff the Bus this Saturday at Kroger in Dawsonville
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
With the start of the school right around the
corner, it’s time once again to help “stuff the
bus” to help set up local students for success.
Dawson County Family Connection will be
at Kroger this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
collecting school supplies in the annual Stuff
the Bus fundraiser. Organizers will be accept
ing monetary or school supply donations at the
yellow school bus that will be parked in front of
Kroger in Dawsonville July 20.
Items to donate include: Flash drives (1G),
three ring binders (1 Vi inches or 2 inches), dry
erase markers, five subject dividers, pencils
(regular No. 2 and colored), supply/pencil
boxes (solid colors), washable markers, note
book paper (wide and college ruled), scissors
(blunt and regular), glue (sticks and bottles),
composition books (wireless), highlighters,
generic book bags (solid color) and drawstring
sports bags.
Donations can also be dropped off at the
Family Connection office at 96 Academy Ave.
in Dawsonville or at Associated Credit Union,
located at 4200 Dawson Forest Road.
Checks made payable to Dawson County
Family Connection may be mailed to P.O. Box
872, Dawsonville, Ga. 30534.
For information call (706) 265-1981.
Jessica Taylor Dawson County News
A Dawson County school bus will be parked outside Kroger July 20 for the annual 'Stuff the Bus' fundraiser
hosted by Family Connection. Donated school supplies will go directly to kids within Dawson County schools
to help alleviate the financial burden on parents at the beginning of the school year.
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