Facilities & Operations 

The master facility planning process prioritized the safety and security of students and staff. The health of our students and staff was also prioritized as a concern. Access to programming opportunities for our students was a priority. The current and future life-cycle costs and energy efficiency of facilities was prioritized. Finally, the fiscal responsibility and funding of facility renovations and replacement with new facilities was given priority.

The two newest buildings in our district are the middle and high school.  The high school opened its doors in 2017 and the middle school opened in 2020. The Primary School (after summer renovations of the Hill Building) will have an average age of 17.57 years with the oldest building being constructed originally in 1958. The Elementary School building was first constructed in 1990 and overall has an average age of 16 years.

The school system is proposing a continuation of the current 1 penny sales tax (ESPLOST) in order to fund capital outlay projects. Property taxes will not be used in this scenario as a funding source, as long as the sales tax referendum is continued for the next two cycles. If sales tax is renewed for both cycles then property tax increases will not be necessary.

ESPLOST stands for Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. This represents a one penny tax on sales in Morgan County. Each request for sales tax must be approved by the voters of Morgan County and represents a five year referendum. The continuation of our current ESPLOST will be presented for voter review on the November, 2015 ballot and again in November, 2020.

Capital outlay projects will be funded through a combination of local sales tax revenue; state capital outlay entitlement earnings and state grant funds.

Non-residents and out-of-country visitors pay over 60% of local sales taxes. Additionally, in the proposed scenario which maximizes funding sources; the State will contribute approximately 44% of the cost of new construction. In this funding scenario, the local citizen will contribute approximately 33.6% in local sales tax contributions towards the cost of capital outlay.

ESPLOST Bonds provide the ability to advance fund projects and replace construction inflation costs with a lower bond interest cost. The current market rate for cost of debt is 2.27%. Estimated construction inflation rates are between 3% and 5%.

ESPLOST has facilitated the construction of the Freshman Academy, New Gym at the Primary School, an additional computer lab at the Primary School, playground equipment at both the Primary and Elementary schools, Upgrades to the school’s security systems, Upgrades to HVAC units, New Buses, Band Instruments, Athletic Facility upgrades, Upgrades for handicap accessibility, Ongoing system-wide renovations to classrooms, Staff virtual desktop computers, Staff mobile devices, Servers, Upgrades to phone systems, Networking and Wireless Upgrades, Replacement of classroom video projectors. Additionally, funds will be used to replace Smart Boards in the classroom, Renovate the Primary School Hill Building, Renovate bathrooms at the Middle School, Add awnings and sidewalks at the Elementary School, and Construction of a new College and Career Academy.

Sales tax revenue will be used to fund capital outlay projects such as, parking improvements, renovations to existing facilities, technology upgrades, new buses, HVAC upgrades at the Elementary school and Primary School.

Traffic flow studies have been performed by Georgia Civil Engineering and a plan is being developed to alleviate congestion and reroute traffic in a more efficient manner. Long-term traffic planning is being developed in coordination with future facility placement.