Aiken Co. BOE holds first of five public meetings on 1% sales tax

AIKEN, S.C. (WJBF) – The school board has been talking about it all summer long, and now they’re sharing the plans on renewing the 1% sales tax with Aiken County families.

“Our goal is to share information for stakeholders to be able to make the proper call–the call that they feel is best–about whenever we go to voters in November,” said Chief Officer of Finance Tray Traxler.

After conversations about schools around the county, leaders approved five primary projects as part of a $285-Million-Dollar Budget.

Administrators presented parents with their ideas, but a concern is that there’s no timeline about the order of projects’ completions.

“What’s the plan? Your plan of what you’re gonna get done, about when you’re gonna get it done, before we vote on this. So that we have an idea of, okay–we’re gonna start working on this school, this school’s the priority, this school’s next, and this one,” one parent shared.

If voters approve the renewal of the sales tax in November, renovations would come to South Aiken, Midland Valley, and Silver Bluff High Schools, along with North Augusta Middle School.

This is a look at the renovations that would come to each school on the list.

But another part of the plans calls for building a new elementary school in Area 3—which parents say is desperately needed.

“Greendale is really old. You walk through the hallways, and it looks exactly like it did when I was seven years old,” said another parent. “We’ve had issues with our roof. It’s been patched, and patched, and patched, and patched—and the patches aren’t cutting it. Our flooring is not level in the hallway.”

Though the budget is $285 Million, the board has made a small list of contingency projects that can be pursued if extra funds are available.

But with rising costs, some are concerned that won’t happen.

“Let’s say the funds are not available, and Greendale gets nothing. What is the plan for Greendale when there comes a point we have to shut the doors? Because it’s going to make children, faculty and staff sick, because we’ve got water pouring through the roof, into the electrical lighting, and all that stuff.”

While some of those questions remain unanswered, school leaders will continue discussions at the second public meeting next Monday night at Ridge-Spring Monetta.

Here is the full list of meeting times and locations:

• Tuesday, September 3rd at 6:30 PM at Silver Bluff High School
• Monday, September 9th at 6:30 PM at Ridge Spring Monetta Middle High School
• Tuesday, September 17th at 6:00 PM at South Aiken High School
• Tuesday, October 15th at 6:00 PM at North Augusta Middle School
• Monday, October 28th at 6:00 PM at Midland Valley High School

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