What is the bond referendum?
Gaston County voters will decide on a $175 million bond referendum to build six new schools, make additions to four others and renovate the county’s oldest high school.
Why supporters want it
Crowding: Last year, elementary schools were at 95 percent capacity, middle schools at 94 percent capacity, and high schools 12 percent above capacity.
Infrastructure: The school system’s 116 mobile trailers hold about 3,000 students. Trailers add classroom space, but they don’t add infrastructure like cafeterias and libraries.
Growth: Based on housing permits and development projections, the school district expects to see 16,000 additional students in the next decade.
What will $175 million buy?
$54.3 million to build one high school to hold 1,200 students
$47 million to build two pre-engineered middle schools to hold 800 students
$46.8 million to build three pre-engineered elementary schools
$9.6 million to build classroom additions at W. Blaine Beam Intermediate, Woodhill Elementary, McAdenville Elementary and Stanley Middle
$4.5 million to renovate Hunter Huss High School, the county’s oldest high school
$12 million for infrastructure and land cost
Where?
The new schools will be built east of U.S. 321, says Jim Cookson, chairman of the Our Children, Our Future bond referendum campaign. No specific locations have been identified yet, Cookson said, though that will be determined should the bonds pass.
If Cookson was betting, he said he’d guess the closer a person lived to the Catawba River, the more likely it was that a school would be built near there.
Who will benefit?
The community as a whole will benefit, Cookson said.
“This bond referendum is going to provide buildings for the first wave of population growth,” Cookson said.
Right now the growth is on the eastern end of the county, Cookson said. New schools will need to be built in the western portion as the population growth moves east to west.
The whole community benefits because good schools attract new businesses and economic development, Cookson said.
What is the time frame?
A high school would be built first because of the immediate need, said Gaston County Manager Jan Winters.
Bonds would be released every few years based on an agreed upon schedule and new school would be built as funds were released, he said.
How will we pay for it?
Based on both state and local projections, the tax rate wouldn’t increase for a few years, Winters said.
Local estimates show:
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No tax increase through 2010.
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1.4 cent increase per $100 valuation in 2011
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3 cent increase per $100 valuation in 2012
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4.4 cent increase per $100 valuation in 2013
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6.1 cent increase per $100 valuation in 2014
If commissioners put a one-fourth cent sales tax on the ballot next year and receive voter approval, those numbers could be lower, Winters said. An increased growth in the tax base and more economical development could also lower numbers.
A decrease in the amount the county has to spend on Medicaid, existing debt being lowered and a growing tax base and economic development means the bond will have a lesser effect on taxes, Winters said.
What if it fails?
Schools will need to built no matter how they’re financed, says Cookson, chairman of the Our Children, Our Future bond referendum campaign.
“A bond referendum is a form of financing,” Cookson said. “It is the cheapest, most economical way to finance.”