At the Cobb County School District Board Meeting on October 27, 2016, the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax V (Ed-SPLOST V) Resolution was approved calling for a Special Election on March 21, 2017. Here are some questions frequently asked about Ed-SPLOST V, with answers provided by the Cobb County School District:

Why do we still need SPLOST?

Because Cobb’s learning environments and infrastructure require ongoing maintenance and to continue providing the most effective instructional resources for Cobb students. Ed-SPLOST I (1999-2003) and Ed-SPLOST II (2004- 2008) were responsive to years of rapid population growth, providing for construction of 21 new schools, 1,982 new classrooms and funding a myriad of capital improvements.

When enrollment trends flattened after 2008, the District’s needs shifted toward revitalization of outdated facilities. Many Cobb schools are more than 40 years old and have inadequate space and resources to best serve students. Ed-SPLOST III (2009-2013) and Ed-SPLOST IV (2014-2018) focused on giving new life to existing facilities, replacing some of the oldest and least efficient school buildings and refreshing the District’s technology resources and infrastructure.

Ed-SPLOST V (2019-2023) will concentrate on construction of new classrooms with the goal of housing approximately 2000 new students projected to enter the District within the next five years. Ed-SPLOST V will also continue to focus on modernizing the District’s older schools and facilities.

Don’t my property taxes pay for these school improvements?

About 90 percent of the district’s operating budget, which is augmented by state funding and local property taxes, goes directly to support the classroom with payment of salaries for teachers, administrators, bus drivers, food service employees, custodians, and other staff. The other 10 percent pays for items such as textbooks and supplies, as well as utilities such as fuel, gas, electricity and water. State funding and local property taxes do not provide for regular building maintenance or for technology enhancements. Prior to Ed-SPLOST, the district issued bonds that had to be paid back over many years with interest and resulted in a property tax increase.

Who provides oversight of the SPLOST program?

The District’s executive director for Ed-SPLOST monitors bidding for projects to ensure that design and construction stay within projected costs, and that projects are completed on time. In addition, the Board of Education has appointed a panel of local businesspeople, the Facilities & Technology Citizens Oversight Committee, that meets monthly to review all bids and verify that the Ed-SPLOST program is operating efficiently and maximizing taxpayer dollars. Finally, an outside firm conducts an annual performance audit of the Ed-SPLOST program. The performance audits are available on the District web site.

What is planned for my school?

Every one of Cobb’s 114 schools will see improvements through Ed-SPLOST V (2019-2023). Check with your school principal or visit www.cobbk12.org/splost for a list of planned projects.

Source: Cobb County School District website