Millions for North Atlanta Elementary Students Depends on Vote, Demographics

A November vote for a penny sales tax for schools could deliver hundreds of new elementary school seats to the Buckhead area and pay for a high school that's already on the drawing board.

If voters approve, a renewed penny sales tax would raise $520 million over its five-year lifespan from 2013, by APS' math. About $270 million on the overall project list is for major construction and renovation.  

Nearly the biggest single item overall is a new north Atlanta elementary school at $16 million.

Though the line item is called "new" school, the money could actually come in the form of a new school or additions to an existing school, confirmed Buckhead School Board Member Nancy Meister.

The decision will depend on the outcome of an upcoming demographic survey.

The proposed tax is written so that the money can be sent either way, Meister said. She also confirmed that there is no location identified for any new school or for any school that might receive any of that $16 million.

If the special local option sales tax — SPLOST — passes, "new north Atlanta Elementary School" and 11 other projects will start at the same time.

Another $14.7 million of the SPLOST would be set aside for major works at E. Rivers Elementary.

"Currently we are 150 percent over capacity," said Delana Reeves, E. Rivers mom and Local School Council chair.  "We're out of classroom space … we lost our auditorium," she said.  Furthermore, there are not enough restrooms, and some teachers instead of a classroom have a cart.

Another roughly $32 million will go to pay off bonds for the new North Atlanta High School campus, which is in the planning stages. If SPLOST fails, the bonds will be paid off by the school board, out of its regular budget.

This tax is called SPLOST IV because it would be the fourth straight five-year tax.

E. Rivers Elementary School was supposed to be renovated under SPLOST III, but it wasn’t.

"In SPLOST I and II, standards were made higher," explained Alvah Hardy, executive director of facilities services at APS, at a meeting of the North Atlanta Parents for Public Schools meeting on Sep. 28.

So the projects ahead of E. Rivers in line ended up taking more resources.  

The higher standards are "really important for SPLOST IV because we've created this expectation that the buildings are going to be here," said Hardy, holding his hand high. "Having spent a lot of time at Rivers, I'd like to see that one happen," he concluded.

"We were really banking on SPLOST III," emphasized Reeves.

SPLOST pennies must be used for capital investments on buildings. Teacher salaries, operations, small maintenance and other costs must be paid by the school board out of its general funds.

Passage also depends on Fulton, DeKalb and Decatur schools. By law, all four must vote as one and across the whole pooled area, the SPLOST must win 50 percent plus one vote to pass. Either everyone gets it or no one gets it.

NAPPS hosted Hardy's presentation at Garden Hills Elementary School. It is a nonprofit organization and does not form opinions on political questions.