Voters in Aiken County, S.C., and part of Saluda County approved Tuesday the $90 million Aiken County Public School District's bond to help pay for expansions, additions and security enhancements at four existing schools and to build two new schools.
Aiken County voters approved the bond by an unofficial vote of 8,574, or 53.9% , to 7,333, or 47.1%, with all but two precincts reporting at 10 p.m. Tuesday.
As of approximately 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, 108 votes in Precinct 2 and 57 votes in Precinct 69 had not been counted, said an official with the Aiken County Registration and Elections office. Those votes will be counted Wednesday, she said.
In Saluda County, the unofficial vote was 27 in favor and 22 opposed, according to an official with the Elections and Registration office. Some students in Saluda County attend schools in the Aiken County district.
"Voter turnout appeared to be strong, especially for a special election," Aiken County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford said. "To see so many come out to vote today is a strong indication of the health of our community and the strong emphasis Aiken County has on education."
The projects the bond will benefit are as follows:
- Renovation and expansion at Midland Valley High School in Graniteville, which is at 110% capacity, at a cost of $20 million
- Renovation and expansion at Millbrook Elementary in Aiken to provide better security at a cost of $11 million
- Renovation and expansion at Belvedere Elementary, which is at 101% capacity, at a cost of $12 million
- Renovation and expansion at Hammond Hill Elementary in North Augusta, which is at 104% capacity, at a cost of $15 million
- Construction of a new elementary school and middle school on donated land between Graniteville and North Augusta at a cost of $32 million.
Aiken County School Board Chairman Levi Green said the facilities committee should meet Wednesday to start looking at plans for the projects and start putting a timeline together for construction.
"This has been a great evening for Aiken County residents, especially for public schools and the students of Aiken County and teachers as well," Green said. "We can now move forward with the bond referendum passing.
"This is a big victory. I want to thank the residents of Aiken County for showing their support and realizing and stepping up to the plate and providing the needs for our students of Aiken County. We just really appreciate it."
The bond will increase property taxes for the next 20 years.
School district officials have estimated the cost to primary residents who pay the 4% county tax rate would be about $20 a year per $100,000 in property value.
The cost for businesses and people who own rental property and pay the 6% tax rate would be an estimated $30 annually per $100,000 property value.
Voting was a little lighter than usual in Aiken, where Millbrook Elementary is located, early Tuesday morning, said Lana Turner Thomas, the poll clerk for Precinct 6 and, for this special election, Precinct 47.
"It's a bit slower than it usually is, especially with 6, because usually my voters are always out in good numbers," Thomas said. "They're always very active even in an election for which you'd think they might not show up. Some of the people I know who are always voting, I haven't seen them yet."
Before 9 a.m., about 20 voters had cast ballots in both precincts.
Joe Taylor, the poll manager at Precinct 16 at First Baptist Church in Graniteville, said a couple of voters were waiting to cast their ballots when the poll opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
"We've had a good turnout so far. We're very surprised, but we're very happy," Taylor said. "I wasn't expecting so big a turnout, but we've had 21 so far this morning. So it looks like we'll probably have more than 100, which would be a decent turnout for us."
Midland Valley High would benefit from the bond with added classrooms, an auxiliary gym and expanded dining facilities.
The early morning turnout was a little higher in the North Augusta are, where Belvedere and Hammond Hill elementary schools are and the new elementary and middle schools will be.
Before 10 a.m., some North Augusta precincts reported voting numbers in the 30s and 40s.
A sampling of voters Tuesday morning at the H. Odell Weeks Activities Center said they supported the school bond.
Missy Byrne of Aiken said she is "absolutely for the bond referendum for the school system."
"I think our school system has been neglected for a long time, and while we did the right thing several years ago with the 1 percent sales tax, it's not keeping up with what the needs are," she said. "We really need to have those good schools for our kids so that they're in good condition so we can bring in new people to the area. I hope it happens."
Dr. Robert Alexander of Aiken said he voted in favor of the school bond "because it's critical that we invest in out schools."
"I'm on the Economic Development Board, and I understand how important the schools are to the future economic development of this community," he said. "If we don't invest in our community, how can we expect major corporations to come in and invest in our community. If they come and see that we're not supporting our schools, then they realize that we're not going to support their families that they bring in."
Alexander said the best investment a community can make in its future is in its children.
"The children are our future, and if we don't support the children, then we're being very selfish," he said. "I know there are a lot of people who tend to think that I've got mine and I don't need to give anymore, but we all owe it to the future generations. So that's why I voted for it, and I hope all my friends will come out and vote for it, also."
Laura Parr of Aiken said she "definitely voted yes" to approve the school bond.
"My husband is an educator. I'm on a school board, and he's from a family of educators," Parr said. "We have young children, and even if we didn't, it's always important to support education. I firmly believe that."
Parr said she believes school funds are used appropriately and needs, including overcrowding at some district schools, are critical.
"When I found out that there are teachers in some of our schools who don't have classrooms and they carry their classroom materials in a backpack and walk from class to class to teach kids — these are people who don't make that much money as it it anyway," she said. "They are doing one of the most important jobs, and they don't even have a classroom to teach in. That is so unacceptable, completely unacceptable."
In a statement, We The People Aiken CARE committee spokesman Debbie Nix congratulated the proponents but was disappointed the voters of Aiken County passed the $90 million school bond placed on the ballot by the Aiken County Public School Board.
Nix said she and the committee, which opposed the bond, had hoped the majority of voters would see through the school board's twists, exaggerations and half-truths. Special interest's stand to gain the most and community and neighbourhood disruption will likely increase, according to the release.
In 2014, voters approved a 1 percent sales tax for 10 years on many items to help fund construction projects at Aiken High, North Augusta High, Leavelle McCampbell Middle School, Ridge Spring-Monetta High and Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary. If money is available, the district also will renovate The Aiken County Career and Technology Center on U.S. 1 in Graniteville.
Money from the tax also provides property tax relief.
The new Leavelle McCampbell Middle School off Bettis Academy Road in Graniteville opened at the beginning of the school year. New wings, including classrooms, cafeteria and media center, opened at Aiken High and North Augusta High before Christmas.
As of Jan. 31, the 1% sales tax had generated $51.3 million. Over 10 years, the tax is expected to generate $188 million.
The tax would end in February 2025 and does not automatically renew. Aiken County voters would have to approve the tax in another referendum to renew it.
In 2010, voters defeated a $236 million bond referendum that would have helped pay for six school renovation and construction projects. A vote in favor of the bond would have that raised taxes $116 per $100,000 property value at the 4 percent rate and $174 per $100,000 at the 6 percent rate.
Most of those projects, including Aiken High, North Augusta High and Leavelle McCampbell Middle, now are being funded with money from the 1% sales tax.
