Catoosa County Schools Superintendent Denia Reese presents plans for the next round of Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, should voters enact it.At the polls
Early voting for ESPLOST V runs through Feb. 26 at precincts in Ringgold and Westside. The official ESPLOST V election is March 1 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit catoosa.comto learn more about voting locations.
Statement of Support
The Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce supports the passage of the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (E-SPLOST). This is not a new tax; this is a continuation of a current tax. E-SPLOST must be used exclusively for capital outlay expenditures. The taxes will be used for the following purposes. 1) To Enhance Student Safety, 2) To Prepare Students for the 21st Century, 3) To Maintain Facility Equitably, 4) To Maintain the Community’s Investment in Facilities.“With acts of violence occurring throughout our county, it has never been more critical for schools to enhance security and surveillance to improve student safety,” said Eaker. “E-SPLOST funds will be used to purchase state of the art emergency notification systems for every school. In addition to the SIELOX emergency system, the E-SPLOST funds will be used to purchase additional cameras and classroom door barricades. All doors will be keyed to the system’s patented lock.”Today’s students must be accomplished using technology productively to be prepared for college and a global economy. Through E-SPLOST V every student in every Catoosa County School will be provided technology.The Power of Pennies for Our Children has never been more important. The Chamber asks citizens to vote YES on Tuesday, March 1, 2016.
Catoosa County Schools Superintendent Denia Reese says Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax is making a big difference in local schools. At a recent Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce meeting, she went over some examples.
County residents are heading to the polls to determine whether to enact another round of the additional 1 percent sales tax which funnels money into the school system.
“Our highest priority will be student safety,” said Reese, adding that technology is also a big priority. “Installing the Sielox class system in every school is the first priority for ESPLOST V. With ESPLOST IV we installed cameras and we will install more with ESPLOST V. We will continue our routine maintenance of roofing and flooring as necessary.”
ESPLOST V’s Sielox security will include additional cameras, door barricades and re-keying doors, she said. Every elementary school will get an updated playground. Buses will be updated for the school system.
“We will have blended learning through digital and online media,” said Reese. “In blended learning classes, teachers use the Internet to communicate with students in other schools. Today every textbook can be contained on a tablet that weighs less than a pound.”
She said ESPLOST V will also help prepare students for the 21st Century by providing an iPad tablet or Chromebook for every student: iPads for those in grades K-2 and Chromebooks for all others, with students in grades 9-12 able to take them home. Digital classroom software will be purchased for every school. Enhanced Wi-Fi will be in every school too.
The Board of Education has a responsibility to maintain facility equitability across the county, and ESPLOST V will fund a major renovation to update the 65-year-old Graysville Elementary School and athletic facilities at all middle schools, said Reese.
“We will add a new wing to the school,” she said in reference to Graysville. “It will improve academic achievement.”
Routine maintenance in each of the district’s 17 schools is required to protect the community’s investment in facilities, she added, and seven schools are more than 50 years old. Reese said ESPLOST IV funded $200,000 in roofing, $100,000 in painting and $100,000 in HVAC repairs and maintenance costs.
“Catoosa County schools are excellent schools and ESPLOST will help keep our schools among the best in the state,” said local Chamber President Martha Eaker. “Good schools mean well-prepared citizens, a strong labor force and an inviting atmosphere for our citizens. It is critical that we continue ESPLOST and continue to build and maintain good schools and provide for the safety of our children.”
Reese noted that the planned ESPLOST V projects were based on stakeholder input.