Editor:
On March 18th, Bryan County voters have an opportunity to renew ESPLOST, a one cent penny sales tax that Bryan County residents have used since 1997 to help offset the burden of growth on local residents. County and city estimates indicate two-thirds or more of the penny sales tax collected by ESPLOST comes from non-residents who live outside of Bryan County. (As a reminder, ESPLOST is not a property tax.) This consumption tax on goods and services purchased in Bryan County has helped fund new schools, purchase new buses, and expand technology and safety measures for our schools. By continuing to support ESPLOST, residents have an opportunity to distribute some of the tax burden to non-Bryan County residents.
As Bryan County Schools responds to the needs of our rapidly expanding county, ESPLOST dollars will help build necessary new schools. Future plans include 2 new elementary schools, one in North Bryan and one in South Bryan.
Additionally, a new Bryan County High School is in design and planned to open in 2029. Without ESPLOST to help fund the needs brought on by explosive growth, projects such as the New Bryan County High school and new elementary schools will be significantly delayed. Instead of building new schools, our district will begin to rely heavily on portable classrooms to expand classroom space.
Given that about 12,000 homes are projected in Richmond Hill in the coming years and Pembroke recently approved 9 new developments, planning for over 3,400 new homes, our school district must plan now. New homes bring new families and new students.
From start to finish, a new school takes about 5 years to build. Bryan County Schools will face, for the first time in our history, significant growth on both ends of the county at the same time. By 2036, we are anticipating approximately 4,000 new students.
It is important to note, by law, ESPLOST dollars cannot be used to fund salaries or benefits for employees.
This ensures that every penny is invested in tangible improvements that benefit our students, staff, and our community. Remember early voting is happening now and Election Day is March 18th. Thank you for your continued commitment to our students and our schools.
To learn more about past and present ESPLOST- funded project, visit our website at https:// www.bryan.k12.ga.us/page/ esplostvii.
Bryan County Board of Education
Amy Murphy, Chair
Marianne Smith, Vice Chair
Shawn Page, District One
Dennis Seger, District Two
Derrick Smith, District Three
Karen Krupp, District Four
David Schwartz, District Five