Dougherty E-SPLOST ‘quietly’ sits on general election ballot

ALBANY — Pretty much lost in all the hoopla over the presidential election and a rare pair of U.S. Senatorial races in the state, the Dougherty County School System is counting on voters to continue the 1% Education Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax that also is on the ballot during Tuesday’s general election.

The 1% special tax, DCSS Superintendent Ken Dyer said Friday, will allow the local public school system to, among other things, make necessary technology upgrades that have proved to be vital as the coronavirus pandemic has forced schools to offer classes electronically. And even though the local system is in the midst of a phased-in return to classes — with sixth- and ninth-graders returning Nov. 9 and the remaining (10th-12th-grade) high school classes coming back to school on Nov. 16 — Dyer said those upgrades must continue.

“We’re fortunate that the system invested heavily in technology the past five years, significantly utilizing E-SPLOST funds,” Dyer said. “That’s helped us meet the needs (brought on by the virus). But some of the schools in the system that are on our (E-SPLOST) projects list had their last upgrades more than 15 years ago. The plan is to modernize schools like Westover (High School), Northside (Elementary) and International Studies (Magnet School).”

Dyer said that, with the E-SPLOST referendum coming up on Tuesday’s ballot, he encourages citizens to “imagine what our school system would look like without 20 years of E-SPLOST funds.” He mentioned improvements at Monroe High School, the Commodore Conyers College and Career Academy, Southside Middle School, Magnolia Elementary; technological upgrades to infrastructure, and equipment like iPads and Homebooks.

“These improvements have benefitted our students and the community, too,” the superintendent said. “Most of the (E-SPLOST) money has been spent on construction projects, and most of that money has been spent with local contractors. And even with the projects that had other contractors, they used lots of in-town subs.”

The projected take from the 1% tax is $90 million over the five years of the E-SPLOST, money that Dyer said would be used for projects that include upgrades at Westover, Northside, International Studies, Dougherty High School, Albany Middle School, Lake Park Elementary and the system’s transportation center.

“Transportation is a significant investment,” Dyer said. “(When schools are fully operational), we’ll have about 130 buses on the roads every day. Think about the costs of those buses, the maintenance, the fuel.”

Dyer said the Dougherty system has not had to utilize its general fund budget — the majority of which is used for salaries — for most of its school-related expansion projects and upgrades because the system has received a number of grants, including a pair of $3 million grants at Sherwood Acres Elementary and the College and Career Academy.

“We leverage our funding with grants and E-SPLOST,” he said.

Dyer said E-SPLOST funds have helped allow the system to provide a “relevant” education for its 14,000-plus students.

“What we strive for is an education that’s relevant to today’s society,” he said. “We’re training students in highly technical skills that are desired in the marketplace. In the past, school said, ‘We teach what we teach,’ and when students were ready for the work force, they started over at ground zero with their employers. We want our students to acquire skills that allow them to go into the job market with knowledge and skills that make them much more desirable employees.

“We had a milestone recently in that one of our students who worked as a Procter & Gamble intern has been hired by P&G full-time. We started out our internship program with five students at P&G, and it grew to 15 internships (at various local businesses and industries) and then 20 and 30. (Before COVID changed education delivery), we had 50 planned this year. We tell our students that a four-year degree is a pathway to a career, but it’s not the only pathway.”

Dougherty County citizens have overwhelmingly supported the E-SPLOST each time it came up for renewal, and Dyer said he hopes voters won’t overlook the importance of the measure as they vote in Tuesday’s election.

“We’re way down there, at the bottom of the ballot,” he said. “And people have asked me, ‘Is there one of those trick questions where if you are opposed to something, you have to vote yes?’ I assure them that by voting yes for E-SPLOST, they are voting to continue a tax where 40 percent of the funding comes from people outside the county. It’s about as fair a tax as there is. The only other way to raise the funding required to meet the county’s educational needs would be an increase in property taxes. And no one wants that.”

Special Photos: DCSSSpecial Photo: DCSS