Darlington County Board of Education approves bond resolution
By Melissa Rollins, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
At the Darlington County Board of Education meeting Monday Feb. 13, board members voted to approve a bond resolution for the issuance and sale of General Obligation Bonds up to $60 million dollars for the construction of three new elementary schools.
The bond resolution was approved unanimously.
Attorney Ben Zeigler addressed the board after the vote, applauding their efforts to move forward with the construction projects, in conjunction with the November referendum.
“Congratulations on the passage of the referendum,” Zeigler said. “I think that is a great testament to the confidence the public has in the district. It is a great event in the history of this district and I think you’ve done a great job getting this referendum through and doing it the right way.”
Zeigler said that in his conversations with the board, the issue of a previous sales tax came up.
“When we talked about calling for the referendum, we had the issue of the existing sales tax having to come off before the new sales tax could come on,” Zeigler said. “The existing sales tax was put on pursuant to a referendum we held in 2004. The special act of the legislature that authorized the referendum states that the sales tax that would be approved in that referendum would stay on until such time as the bonds payable to that sales tax…are paid off. What we have to do before the new sales tax comes on March 1 is make sure that those old bonds are paid off Feb. 28.”
The district is in a position to make that pay-off without much of an issue, Zeigler said.
“The good news is that ya’ll have almost enough money in the sales tax fund itself now to pay those bonds off,” Zeigler said. “There is a little bit of a shortfall, which can be reimbursed once the next installment, the final installment, of sales tax proceeds come in in April.”
With around $13 million left to repair, there will be less than half a million shortfall.
“The amount that will have to be put up will be $12,960,125,” Zeigler said. “Of that, you’ll be about $400,000 short and that money will have to come out of the general fund balance. This resolution also directs that that money be repaid as soon as the next installment of sales tax money comes in.”
The money will be used to build a school in Darlington, Hartsville and Lamar. The three new schools will combine student populations from two small schools in each of the locations. Any of the $60 million not used in school construction can be used to outfit the schools with furniture and technology.
Recognitions
In other business, the board recognized several students for their accomplishments in extra curricular activities.
Jaylen Evans, a Hartsville High School football player, was selected for the 2016 Touchstone Energy Cooperative North-South Team. The game was played in Myrtle Beach December 10th.
Another Hartsville High School football player, Logan Carpenter, was selected to play in the 2016 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas. The bowl was played December 16th in Spartanburg.
Sydney Ferrance, a Hartsville High School volleyball player, was selected for the 2016 South Carolina Coaches Association of Women’s Sports North-South All-Star Volleyball Game. The game was held at Erskine College November 19th.
Hartsville High School student Hunter Thompson was selected to perform in the 2017 South Carolina Band Director’s Association All-State Clinic Band. Thompson was the only student from the Darlington County School District to be chosen.
Lastly, the board recognized Cameron Watkins who was named the 2017 Outstanding Young Music Educator of the Year. Watkins, the Director of Bands for Hartsville High School, was given the award by the South Carolina Music Educator’s Association.