Jeremy Handel, Staff Writer
The Spartanburg County School District Four Board of Trustees voted unanimously to certify the results of the August 11 referendum. The referendum clears the way for the district to increase property taxes for the bonding of up to $100 million for the construction of a new high school.
“I don’t think many have passed this on the first go around, so we’ve done our job,” said Board Chair Tony Davis. “Now we have to make sure we get this thing done under budget and on time.”
The board vote certifies the results of a special election that approved the referendum with 53.5 percent of voters voting in favor. Following the board’s certification, there is a 30-day period of protest in which the district can take no action on the referendum while allowing any potential legal challenges to the election to be filed.
That does not mean the district will be standing still. Superintendent Dr. Rallie Liston told the board that district officials would start meeting with bond counsel and the project manager to start discussing financing and design.
The district is still determining when they will issue bonds and if they intend to issue them in stages, and how much to issue at what point in the development. They will also begin discussions in earnest regarding design and development progress and timelines.
The district is projecting to have the project completed in time to open the new high school for the fall 2025 school year. Board member Ted Harrison, Jr., whose family owns a contracting business, said the timeline is ambitious but achievable as long as there are no major delays in materials or permitting.
Board member Morgan Smith told the board and district officials that he wants to make sure that the district is forthcoming with progress on the project.
“All the questions we got during the referendum, we’re going to get during this project,” he said. He emphasized the need to be transparent about progress on the project as well as finances and spending.
Dr. Liston said that once the 30-day waiting period concludes, as long as there is no legal challenge, design work will get underway, and people could potentially start seeing progress on the site in six to eight months.
Author: Tracy Sanders
