Our opinion
The sixth renewal of the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (ESPLOST) is on the primary ballot for May 24, and passing it is vital to the continued success of the Habersham County School system.
Superintendent Matthew Cooper has been sharing the word throughout the community of the importance of ESPLOST, and it cannot be underscored. Our schools have done a total 180-degree turn from a decade ago in terms of graduation rates, staffing and enhancement of the educational experience, and those victories come from having resources.
Cooper stressed the many points for use of the ESPLOST money, including paying off $26 million worth of debt on the newest school buildings and leaving the system debt free after this upcoming ESPOST VI cycle.
“This is not a new tax, it’s a continuation,” Cooper said. “If we do not renew, the debt will be paid only by property owners in Habersham County, whereas this will allow it to be paid by anyone who visits the county and spends money here.”
As part of the potential $59 million, our school system needs to buy 40 new school buses over the next five years, especially after seeing that one from 2004 is still in service.
Of the utmost importance is technology, which is not only the wave of the future, but of the present, especially given the events of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our school system soldiered on through that crisis and continued educating our children because it had the quality people in place to handle the emergency and show their flexibility to meet the ever-evolving challenges.
The ESPLOST would also enable renovations to school buildings that would support expanded pre-kindergarten services for more families and put those services under one roof.
Plans for ESPLOST VI also include $2.5 million invested in maintaining student safety, as well as $15 million budgeted for future growth.
In 2016, we asked the county’s voters to approve ESPLOST V, and it has been a tremendous success. Our schools have flourished, and much of that money has been paid by visitors to Habersham County.
The equal and fair tax allows tourism – the second-largest industry in Habersham, bringing those who eat, shop and stay in our county – to help us educate our children, thus lessening the burden on local taxpayers.
There are a lot of important decisions to make on May 24, but none more so than voting yes to renew the ESPLOST and allow our period of scholastic prosperity to continue for the next five years.