Gaston County, N.C., voters green-lighted both a $250 million school bond referendum and a quarter-cent sales tax increase to pay back the borrowed money Tuesday night.
The school bond passed by a wide margin, getting more than 69% of the vote. However, the sales tax portion was a nail-biter to the end.
The sales tax passed with less than 52% of the vote, which amounted to a 526-vote cushion. The majority of support for the increase hailed from the southeastern part of the county, based on unofficial results from the Board of Elections.
The Board of County Commissioners now has the power to borrow up to $250 million in school bonds over the next seven to 10 years. The money will be earmarked for three new schools and improvements to schools in all six townships. The new schools include a replacement for Belmont Middle School, an elementary school in south Gastonia and another new middle school in an unnamed location.
"With the bonds being approved by a significant margin, it is clear that voters care about the schools in Gaston County, and they want the best schools for our children," said Superintendent of Schools Jeff Booker. "With the bonds tonight, we will continue moving forward to have more new schools and upgrade the existing ones to ensure that our students have a safe and nurturing school environment."
Booker, along with several Board of Education and commission members, and community members who campaigned for the referenda, celebrated after a nerve-wracking couple of hours watching the results roll in at the Growler U.S.A. taproom at the Loray Mill.
The sales tax hike is considered necessary by county leaders to support the repayment of the school bonds, which they expect could bring in about $6 million annually.
"Now we have a new revenue source that we can fund classrooms, and classroom additions, and classrooms repairs and new schools that we didn't have before," said Commissioner Bob Hovis, who represents the Crowders Mountain Township. "I think the voters of Gaston County will see that become evident as we move forward."
Commissioner Ronnie Worley, who represents the South Point Township, said construction will likely begin on the replacement Belmont Middle School by year's end.
Booker added that other smaller school repairs and renovations--such as roof replacements--will begin over the summer, with some longer-term projects slated to begin in about a year's time.
School board Chairman Kevin Collier said "Our next step is for the Board of Education to work with the County Commissioners to issue the bonds and begin work on the school projects."
"We think this is a new era in partnering with the Board of Education," said Worley. "It's a new time of working in collaboration together."
Fewer than 10% of the county's 142,503 registered voters cast ballots by the time primary voting ended 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. The primary election included more than two weeks of early voting opportunities through Saturday, May 5.
Almost 50 parent-led groups helped to campaign over the past several weeks for the passage of the school bonds and sales tax increase.
"In addition to everyone who voted for the bonds, we would like to thank the 'Our Children, Our Future' bond referendum committee, parents, business leaders, and many other people in our community who joined together to promote the school bonds," said Collier. "It has been a communitywide effort, and it is so reassuring with this vote to see so much support for our schools."
The school bond package was the largest of its kind in the county's history. About a decade ago, Gaston voters passed a $175 million school bond referendum, which the county used to build Stuart W. Cramer High, Pleasant Ridge Elementary, Stanley Middle, to purchase and renovate the current Hawks Nest STEAM Academy building, and to make improvements at other schools such as Hunter Huss High.
However, the county decided to let its ability to borrow some $40 million of the remaining bond money expire this past fall.
Even with the passage of the school bond referendum, the school system has identified a total of $650 million in capital needs, which it plans to tackle with additional school bond proposals in the future.
While no exact date has been determined, the county could place another school bond referendum or sales tax question on the next election ballot.
Booker called Tuesday's primary election results a "big bet" on education in Gaston County.
"This is a day when the citizens of Gaston County said 'We believe in public education,'" said Booker. "We support what is going on in our schools."
You can reach Eric Wildstein at 704-869-1828 or Twitter.com/TheGazetteEric.
