E-SPLOST Project List Unveiled

DeKalb County School District (DCSD) has announced the official planning and construction schedule for its five-year, $561 million Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (E-SPLOST) Capital Improvements Program.

On May 24, 2016, DeKalb County residents approved the continuation of E-SPLOST with more than 71 percent of the vote. This unprecedented approval rating, the highest in the history of E-SPLOST in the county, provided DCSD with a definitive mandate to ensure a safe, clean, 21st-Century teaching, learning, and working environment for more than 102,000 students and nearly 16,000 employees.

“Voters agreed to fund more than a half-billion dollars to equip our scholars and teachers with improved facilities,” said Superintendent R. Stephen Green. “Our promise was that we would put those funds to best use based on needs-based data and demographic analysis. We believe this project list accomplishes just that.”

The full schedule of E-SPLOST projects, spanning 2017 to 2022, was presented to the DeKalb County Board of Education on March 20, 2017. The complete, detailed list may be viewed at www.dekalbschoolsga.org/e-splost.

Approximately $140 million in sales tax/GO bonds was issued on March 2, 2017 to kick-start the implementation of the E-SPLOST projects, prior to the first sales tax collections in July 2017.

Program Budget Allocation Overview:

Safety and Security Improvements – $15 million
Installation of automatic fire sprinklers and various security improvements and facility enhancements.

New Facilities and Additions – $291 million
Construction of four new schools: three elementary and one high; additions at eight middle and high schools.

Facility Condition Improvements – $100 million
High school artificial turf installation; elementary school playground replacement; restroom fixture replacement; school accessibility improvements; potential lead/water remediation; school bus pavement upgrades; parking additions at schools; major building system replacements.

Technology Upgrades – $65 million
Finance/Human Resources system replacement; safety and security improvements, computer refreshes, and phone upgrades for all schoolhouses; active boards replacement; technology infrastructure enhancements.

School Buses, Fleet Vehicles, and Other Equipment – $40 million
Purchase up to 257 school buses and additional service vehicles; replace select kitchen equipment at 68 schools; purchase portable classrooms, musical instruments/band equipment.