Voters approve $933 million in new schools

Despite an economic downtown, South Carolina voters shelled out big bucks in November in support of new school buildings.

Voters approved all six building referendums on the ballot in the Nov. 4 general election. This will result in $933 million in new school construction in Greenwood 52, Horry County, Lexington 1, Lexington-Richland 5, Marlboro County and Richland 2.

This rare occurrence was not lost on Cherokee County school administrators.

Support from county residents has allowed the school district to complete $100 million in new school construction projects since 1996.

"We have been very fortunate to be ahead of the curve in terms of building new schools," Cherokee County Superintendent Dr. Bill James said. "Our community has been very supportive of the school system and has seen the need to have good facilities for our students."

Gaffney High was among the new schools built in a $58 million building program approved by voters in 1996. Voters allowed the district to use a 1-cent local option sales tax to help make bond payments. The bond issue is scheduled to be repaid in 2017.

Cherokee County was one of the last school districts to issue installment revenue bonds for a school building program before the financing method was scrapped by state lawmakers in 2006.

The district used $35 million in installment revenue bonds for the school building program completed this summer. This resulted in the new Blacksburg and Gaffney High ninth grade additions, a Gaffney High stadium and track, Cherokee Community Learning Center and a 6-classroom Goucher Elementary addition.

Since 1996, major construction projects have been done in 17 of the district's 20 county schools. The exceptions are B.D. Lee Elementary, Granard Middle and Ewing Middle.

There are no immediate plans for any new school construction in Cherokee County.

But finance director Ben Childs said the district will revisit its school facilities plan over the next year.

"This will give us an idea on the facility needs in our schools that we might need to address in the future," Childs said.