Results In For Spartanburg School District 7 Referendum Vote

City residents in the Spartanburg County School District 7 delivered an emphatic verdict on August 20 on a $47 million bond referendum designed to fund multiple elementary school building projects. The referendum has passed, according to unofficial results released by the Spartanburg County Voter Registration & Elections office.

Unofficial Referendum Results

According to the preliminary data, 2,052 residents or 72.5% voted in favor of the question, while 777 votes or 24.5% of ballots were cast against. With 2,829 votes cast in total, the majority, constituting 2,182 votes, were cast on Tuesday. The remainder of the voting pool, amounting to 647 votes, was accounted for by early voting and absentee ballots.

Objective of the Bond Referendum

The $47 million referendum is scheduled to fund the construction of a new, 125,000-square-foot Jesse Boyd Elementary School at the former McCracken Middle School site, in addition to an 11,364-square-foot classroom addition to Mary H. Wright Elementary School. District officials have set opening targets for both projects at August 2027.

Besides accommodating educational needs, the additions will provide space for a district employees’ daycare program and a public, need-based 3K program.

Estimated Cost of the Project

The projects are estimated to cost a total of $59,572,823. The construction of the new Jesse Boyd Elementary School holds an estimated cost of $55,025,000, while the classroom addition to Mary H. Wright Elementary is expected to cost $4,547,833.

The district has designed a funding strategy that will employ $7,572,833 from its accumulated debt service funds, $2 million from the general fund, and $3 million from its food service fund towards these projects. The referendum will fund the remaining balance.

Implications for Taxpayers

Taxpayers will correlate with a raise of 9 mills. Annually, this translates to a tax increase of $36 on a home valued at $100,000; $54 on businesses valued at a similar amount; and $5.40 on vehicles valued at $10,000.

As we continue to follow this developing story, HERE News Network aims to keep its readers informed and engaged with the most accurate information.