In this election we have the opportunity to maintain the Fayette County E-SPLOST and continue to support our quality Fayette County Schools by providing the technology and other infrastructure necessary to carry on the excellent work of our students, teachers, parents, and administrators.
Some argue that we should wait until another time and see what happens with the new board. However, I would argue waiting and equivocating has gotten us to the position where we are today.
In this important election we are all voting, if the E-SPLOST were to be shuffled to a later date, based on history, far fewer voters would make a decision that would affect the whole county.
To be clear, Georgia state law requires a “waiting period” for a new vote on the E-SPLOST that would expire in early 2014.
In the meanwhile we would need to make plans on how to pay for our technology, books, buses, and building improvements out of an operating fund that already cannot afford to pay for the teachers we need.
In addition, the working families of Fayette County will see an increase in their school bond property taxes as the E-SPLOST is paying a portion of that today. Based on this year that tax increase would be $147 on a home valued at $250,000.
Over 170 of the 181 public schools systems have an E-SPLOST; some have renewed two and three times already. The state legislature has clearly factored this into its draconian cuts in K-12 public school funding that have cost Fayette County schools over $25 million in the past few years alone.
When you consider Fayette County schools have a cost per student near the average for Georgia public schools and are near the top of all performance measures, that says a lot.
I ask your vote to maintain the Fayette County’s E-SPLOST this coming election.
I believe we have all gotten too caught up on who is on team Smola, team Todd, team Bearden, Democrat, Republican or Tea Party, and it is now time we all joined team Fayette County Public Schools and support our students, teachers, and administrators.
We can disagree on policy, but I think we can all agree on our desire to keep our excellent Fayette County Public Schools at the standard we have come to expect.
Neil Sullivan, Co-Chair
Fayette Citizens for Children
Peachtree City, Ga.
