Vote YES on DCSD bond referendum
By Dr. Thelma Dawson, Darlington County Board of Education member
As a member of our Darlington County Board of Education, I am writing to encourage all voters in the county to vote YES on the referendum that will allow students in several areas to have access to new school buildings. There will be two places on your ballot that address this referendum. I encourage you to vote YES on each of these items. Darlington County students deserve the best schools our county can provide. Because of the conservative nature of your School Board, our county has capacity to provide newer and better buildings for some of our oldest schools. Darlington County citizens deserve a school district that demonstrate to our state and others that our county is a residence of choice because of our careful investment in areas that make a difference in our communities – our schools.
Please join me in voting YES on these two pieces of legislation.
As background, here are some of the facts prepared to help our citizens put the bond legislation into context:
In August 2016 the Darlington County Board of Education approved sending a bond and capital sales tax referendum to voters in November to fund the construction of three new elementary schools to replace six aging school facilities in the school district. The bond, which will cost no more than $60 million, will be paid through a one-cent sales tax that will replace the expiring one-cent sales tax that voters approved in 2003.
The Darlington County School District (DCSD) has more than 2 million square feet of building space. The average age of DCSD’s 23 schools is 46.17 years. The average age of the district’s elementary schools is 55 years. Aging schools present challenges in maintenance, security measures, and the ability to handle current and future technological needs.
The Darlington County Board of Education has identified six schools that have aging facilities and smaller enrollments.
• Brunson-Dargan Elementary School (Darlington) – 51 years old
• Cain Elementary School (Darlington) – 61 years old
• Washington Street Elementary School (Hartsville) – 55 years old
• West Hartsville Elementary School (Hartsville) – 60 years old
• Spaulding Elementary School (Lamar) – 63 years old
• Lamar Elementary School (Lamar) – 68 years old
If voters approve the referendum in November, the DCSD will use fund balance to pay off the remaining debt from the 2003 penny sales tax referendum. The new one-cent sales tax would begin after the old penny sales tax expired. In essence, the penny sales tax would continue, and consumers would not see a tax increase.