Allison Ericson, Valdosta Today News Director:
VALDOSTA — The ESPLOST V campaign kick off and press conference was held last night, Feb. 24 in the Valdosta City Hall Annex.
The ESPLOST V funds are divided between Valdosta City and Lowndes County school systems. This year’s tax is expected to receive a maximum total of about $58 million. The extension is set at a sum of $135 million or 5 years, which ever comes first.
ESPLOST is an Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax which allows local school districts to collect a one percent sales tax to fund school facility improvements and equipment.
The ESPLOST V funds will go towards:
- Construction of a new Valdosta High School
- Complete additions, renovations and modifications
- The purchase of new textbooks, instructional supplies, new technology, school buses, band equipment, safety and security equipment, and athletic upgrades
- Upgrade system-wide instructional and administrative technology
- Modify or relocate central office complex
- Acquire property for new construction and/or expansion of existing schools and facilities
“Much of what we are going to be doing with our ESPLOST funds will be to construct a new Valdosta High School. Why a new high school? The one that we currently have was occupied in 1972, though it has had some cosmetic changes on the inside, the infrastructure is still that of 1972. We have major infrastructure problems out there including a deteriorated sewer infrastructure, water infrastructure, and air chiller,” Martin Roesch, Valdosta City Superintendent said. “It is estimated that it would cost about $17 million dollars to finish or to modify the existing facility, but then where would we have a school while these modifications are being done? The high school is on a slab and the sewer infrastructure is underneath that, basically you would have to go in and jack hammer the entire slab out to make those modifications.”
Election day will be held on March 17 and polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., early voting will begin Feb. 23 to March 13 to vote for the ESPLOST tax.
“It is an extension of the current tax not an additional tax, renewal of the ESPLOST V will start when the ESPLOST IV ends, you won’t have two taxes, sales tax is paid by everyone who shops in Valdosta, including visitors, this means over half the funds collected come from nonresidents of our community,” Jerome Tucker, ESPLOST Co-Chair said. “I have been asked how much is that? And I’ve said if any, it’s a help, if anybody helps me improve my public schools it’s a plus.”
The ESPLOST IV funded road, sidewalk, ditch piping, drainage, water and sewer improvements. Previous ESPLOST projects included; New Pinevale Elementary School, athletic additions to J.L. Newbern Middle School, new S.L. Mason Elementary and W.G. Nunn Elementary Schools, system-wide technology, textbooks and supplies, safety enhancements, and school bus purchases.
“I will say that if our district had not had the ESPLOST funds with the downturn in the economy that we would not have been able to do what we have done. It certainly would have taxed the property owners a great deal if we were not able to fund projects with our ESPLOST,” Roesch said.
