GAINESVILLE — Despite the fact that Hall County has funded millions of dollars in school improvements with a penny sales tax for 17 years, there's still some confusion over how E-SPLOST works, according to Hall County School System Superintendent Will Schofield.
Schofield told those attending a public discussion session at school board headquarters Monday night that he has had to clarify the difference between SPLOST and E-SPLOST at nearly every presentation he's made on the issue this summer and fall.
"I have individuals coming up and saying 'Well, I'm just not sure we need any more parks, I'm just not sure we need more money in libraries' and I have to remind people this is E-SPLOST, not SPLOST," said Schofield. "This is the penny that supports capital expenditures in our school districts."
Schofield emphasized that an extension of the E-SPLOST will be divided among the three public school districts in the county: Hall County School District (28, 000 students), Gainesville City School District (8,000 students) and Buford City Schools (600 students who live in Hall County).
The Monday night discussion session, the seventh and final organized by the Hall County School District, drew about a dozen people. All who spoke favored extending the penny sales tax over a property tax increase or payment of bonds. Still, there was some concern over the project list for E-SPLOST V.
Craig Lutz of Flowery Branch, a former Hall County Commissioner, urged school board members to be more specific on the project list.
"To me the list is about accountability and so, while I understand you can't hit everything on the list, that's still something I think should be an anchor point for the board and future boards going forward, so that we don't go and do something that may not have been contemplated by the voters," said Lutz.
He also had a suggestion for construction of what he called "common" facilities, such as stadiums or auditoriums that could accommodate larger crowds.
"The example at [the meeting at] Flowery Branch High School came up that Flowery Branch High School can't even use their theater for band performances because the band's too big - they can't fit on the stage," said Lutz. "They have to rent space from Brenau [University]...churches or what have you - space that's big enough."
Former Hall County School Board member Richard Higgins attended the meeting and told others he remembered the days of trying to fund school construction without E-SPLOST.
"I just remember how painful it was to try to get everything done and how many problems we had because of it [schools being overcrowded.] I know West Hall and North Hall had probably 500 or 600 students more than their capacity," said Higgins.
He said raising money for school construction through E-SPLOST was the best financial way to fund new schools.
Current School Board Chairman Nath Morris said after the meeting he's not sure how the vote will go for E-SPLOST V, but he's hoping the support of past education sales tax measures will translate to a positive outcome for this one.
"I hope that trend continues and I hope the community sees that we have been good stewards of their money," said Morris.
E-SPLOST V is on the November 3 ballot.
