Latest news with #ESPLOSTV
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Savannah-Chatham superintendent lauds 'significant voter turnout' for ESPLOST election
"Collectively, when I say 'Together We Can' this is exactly what I mean," said Savannah-Chatham County Public School System Superintendent Denise Watts regarding the county's approval of the fifth Education Special Purchase Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) referendum. During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, she lauded "a significant voter turnout" for Tuesday's special election despite 94.19% of eligible voters opting not to show at the polls. The referendum was the first March vote for an ESPLOST measure, which also made it the only item on the ballot. The special election also took place the day after Savannah's St. Patrick Day Parade and Festival. Each of these factors presented previously unexplored variables for an ESPLOST vote. "Nobody really knew how it was going to go...I was even nervous about how it would go," Watts said Wednesday. She said that since this was her first ESPLOST vote, she did not have a historical number to base a potential outcome against. She reiterated that the vote received a 64.37% approval among 5.81% of eligible Chatham County voters. As previously reported, the approval rate is the third highest of all the ESPLOST votes. Conversely, the referendum's disapproval rate is also the third highest for an ESPLOST vote with 35.63% of voters going against the measure. Ultimately, she was "happy to announce" the significant win for the district, which will allow it to address facilities projects large and small. She referred to a top priority being "one of our flagship projects," which is Pooler's first high school. She said the district will continue to be good stewards of its and the community's resources to ensure students "have quality learning opportunities and facilities to learn in." She expressed her gratitude for for the opportunity to "galvanize the community around something that we know will leave a lasting benefit." She thanked community partners, families and her district team for their efforts and insights throughout the proposal development process. Watts also acknowledged the support of the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, for which she is listed as a member of the board of directors. School district Chief Public Affairs and Administrative Services Officer Kurt Hetager clarified that the chamber invites the school system to be represented on the board, but that the superintendent traditionally does not attend the meetings. "We have a strategic partner coordinator in our engagement and outreach department that attends," he said. Watts did confirm that she had given an informational presentation on ESPLOST to the Chamber board prior to its endorsement. She said she "was asked to leave the room when ESPLOST V was discussed" following the presentation. All is quiet on the voting front: 5.81% of Savannah-Chatham County voters pass ESPLOST The voters' approval of ESPLOST extends the already-existing 1% sales tax designated for public school capital projects. The first penny tax was first approved nearly 20 years ago and has gained voters' support ever since. Here's another look back at the historical turnout over all past ESPLOST votes: ESPLOST I vote on Sept. 19, 2006 *Special election Total: 23,801 Yes: 13,276 (60.28%) No: 10,525 (39.72%) ESPLOST II vote on Nov. 8 2011 Total: 39,313 Yes: 26,930 (67.13%) No: 12,923 (32.87%) ESPLOST III vote on Nov. 8, 2016 *Presidential Election year Total: 108,020 Yes: 64,468 (59.68%) No: 43,552 (40.32%) ESPLOST IV vote on Nov. 2, 2021 Total: 22,612 Yes: 16,765 (74.14%) No: 5,847 (25.86%) ESPLOST V on March 18, 2025 *Special election Total: 12,240** Yes: 7,879 (64.37%) No: 4,361 (35.63%) **12,251 ballots were cast but Chatham County Elections Supervisor Billy Wooten confirmed that 11 voters checked in, printed their ballots and cast them but the ballots were blank. Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@ and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah-Chatham superintendent happy with ESPLOST outcome
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
All is quiet on the voting front: 5.81% of Savannah-Chatham County voters pass ESPLOST
Despite Chatham County polling stations being nearly as quiet as childless playgrounds during Tuesday's special election turnout, voters greenlit $705 million in additional tax revenue over the next five years for the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System. The district's fifth Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) referendum received the third highest percentage of yes votes (64.37%) compared to previous ESPLOST referendums. ESPLOST V also lays claim to the lowest overall voter turnout of any ESPLOST with 12,240 votes counted out of 12,251 ballots cast. Chatham County Elections Supervisor Billy Wooten noted that the numbers are still unofficial until the reconciliation process has been fully completed. The passing of EPLOST V continues the one-cent sales tax that began after voters first passed ESPLOST I on Sept. 19, 2006. Chatham County had 211,005 registered voters for Tuesday's election, which means only 5.81% chose to participate. Early voters accounted for 3,165 ballots between Feb. 24 and March 14. Election day voters made up the remaining 9,075 votes. Wooten shared that only 1,522 voters had cast ballots across the county between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m., which set the tone for slow-going at polling locations. With the referendum, Pooler stood to gain a new estimated $55 million K-8 school and its first high school, estimated at $95 million, to address overcrowding at other West Chatham schools. The new West Chatham Complex is set to house both schools and could also contain an athletic complex estimated at an additional $20 million. Together the three projects equate to nearly a quarter of ESPLOST V's total budget. Yet, only 696 of Pooler's 15,828 eligible voters (4.39%) cast ballots. Poll workers and the manager at West Chatham County YMCA said only 22 people had shown up by 12 p.m. They did say that six people wanted to vote, but had to be redirected to their assigned precincts, which was noted as a common occurrence because the YMCA draws people from all over the town to its recreational facilities. At the Pooler Recreation Center Gymnasium, its poll manager said between 20 and 30 people had voted by lunch time. By the close of the polls, 281 voters across two of Pooler's precincts (which are both assigned to the gym) had voted. Historical ESPLOST election data shows that the fourth ESPLOST vote on Nov. 2, 2021 had yielded the highest percentage of yes votes while having the previous lowest voter turnout of 22,612. The pattern of lower turnouts yielding higher success rates was noted by District 3 School Board Representative Cornelia Hall as a factor to consider back during the school board's August retreat. The special sales tax funds, by law, cannot be spent toward curriculum resources, teacher or staff salaries, or schools' daily operational expenses. ESPLOST funds can only be used for capital improvement projects such as constructing new buildings, advancing security technology, repairing and upgrading facilities as well as purchase of furnishings, buses and computers. Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@ and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Voters support extending Savannah-Chatham public schools special tax
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Savannah-Chatham school's ESPLOST referendum vote happens Tuesday
For nearly 20 years, buying dinner at the famous Olde Pink House downtown or purchasing a large Moon River Mocha Cutter's Point in Sandfly has contributed to public education. So, too, have a myriad of other sales purchases as a result of the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System's Educational Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST). Next Tuesday, March 18 marks citizen's final day to vote on whether or not the school district should enter into the fifth iteration of the sales tax. Superintendent Denise Watts noted at a Wednesday press conference that historically over $400 million ESPLOST funds have been invested back into the community through contracts with local builders, suppliers and other service providers. Chamber President and CEO Bert Brantley also spoke at the event, citing the district and school board's "commitment to our students, in particular, your focus on literacy, absenteeism and math" as influencing the Chamber's endorsement. He said Chamber members experience those issues "every day in the workforce" as well and welcome a community effort to address them to ensure a "ready-made workforce that will meet the needs, not only of today, but also tomorrow and in the years to come." Here is what voters should know before heading to the polls. Early voting started on Feb. 24. The ESPLOST special election will be Tuesday, March 18. Mail-in early voting ended on March 7. In-person early voting ends on Friday, March 14. The school district's ESPLOST V would raise approximately $705 million through a continuation of the 1% penny sales tax for Chatham County. ESPLOST V funds would be used for: Property acquisition for and building of new public schools; Existing school projects that could renovate, reconfigure, and equip schools and athletic facilities; Safety, security and technology upgrades and enhancements; Various technology and facilities projects for three of the district's five public charter schools: Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School, Savannah Classical Academy and Tybee Island Maritime Academy. The school district has listed specific proposed projects for voters to review. Many projects remain in the early phases of design and development since they rely on the funding to move forward. Key highlights include replacing the facility for the STEM Academy at Bartlett Middle School, reimagining 208 Bull Street as both administrative offices and an educational space dubbed the Bull Street Center for Architecture and Design, and Pooler's first high school (as part of a larger educational complex in West Chatham on Pine Barren Road). An extensive list of county-wide projects can be found within the Dec. 18, 2024 resolution for the referendum approved by the school board. Here's exactly how the ESPLOST question will read on election day: Shall a one percent sales and use tax be imposed in the Chatham County School District for a period of time not to exceed twenty consecutive calendar quarters in order to raise not more than $705,000,000 for the purpose of (a) constructing new schools and additions to schools; (b) renovating, reconfiguring, and equipping schools, support facilities, and athletic facilities; (c) modernizing and improving system-wide administrative, and site improvements, property acquisition, upgrading and replacing mechanical systems, HVAC, and roofing; (d) providing safety, security, and technology upgrades and enhancements; (e) providing Charter School capital outlay projects to Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School for equipment/buses, site improvements, technology and secure facilities; Savannah Classical Academy technology and campus security improvements and repairs to roof and HVAC systems; and Tybee Island Maritime Academy equipment and technology improvements. If imposition of the tax is approved by the voters, such vote shall also constitute approval of the issuance of general obligation debt of the Chatham County School District in the maximum principal amount of $200,000,000 for the above capital outlay purposes and for the payment of capitalized interest. ( ) YES( ) NO Groups in support of ESPLOST tend to cite its focus on providing high-quality facilities to meet modern learning and workforce development training needs in the county. Proponents such as the Savannah Chamber of Commerce have also highlighted that visitors to Savannah have contributed over 40% of past ESPLOST revenue, so the burden does not fall squarely on county residents. Brantley encouraged the public, regardless of their position, to show up at the polls next Tuesday. "This is your chance to have your voice heard in the way that your government operates," he said. Opponent groups such as the Chatham County GOP have stated that ESPLOST burdens citizens with yet another tax coupled with the rising cost of living and inflation increases. Such groups argue that the school district should focus on improving use of existing fiscal resources such as millage rate tax revenue and other forms of state and federal funding. They also advocate for more exploration of private partnership opportunities. Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@ and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah public schools special tax election will be Tuesday, March 18
