On Tuesday, November 7, Griffin-Spalding County voters passed the E-SPLOST referendum with 3,144 yes votes. GSCS Superintendent Dr. Keith Simmons stated, "Griffin-Spalding County Schools is grateful that the voters elected to continue the penny sales tax for education (E-SPLOST). These funds will allow our school system to continue to renovate facilities, upgrade resources and provide the safest learning environments for students. On behalf of our board of education, nearly 10,000 students and 1,400 employees, we want to extend a special thanks and appreciation for those who served on the E-SPLOST committee and all who took time to go to the polls to vote."
E-SPLOST allows for one penny from each dollar spent in Spalding County to be invested into education. Some of the projects on the current E-SPLOST plan are the renovation and modernization of school buildings helping them to be energy efficient (LED lights and new HVAC systems), new handicap-inclusive playgrounds at elementary schools, school safety equipment, transportation improvements, technology updates, improvements to athletic facilities and additional instructional materials and teaching resources.
The state of Georgia funds public education through property tax. Each school system sets a millage rate and those funds are gathered exclusively through property tax. The E-SPLOST penny sales tax allows anyone who shops for anything in our county to invest in local education. If someone shops at a store, eats at a restaurant, stays in a hotel or buys a car their pennies help education. This reduces the burden on the property owners by allowing the board of education to fund projects through sales tax. GSCS has had a downward trend in the millage rate for the past 12 years. The education millage rate was 19.47 mils in 2012 and it is 16.74 in 2023.