Superintendent Dr. Katie Thomas talked about the upcoming extension of the E-SPLOST, keeping her presentation about what’s in the upcoming package being proposed to voters for the next round of expansion and repairs needed by the Polk School District.

During the Tuesday, October 5 work session, Dr. Thomas talked about what’s in the upcoming package for additions to schools, and wanted to remind voters that this is only an extension of the one-penny Education-only Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which has been in place since 1998 and provides Polk School District with the opportunity to expand and make much-needed repairs to buildings, buy technology items, buses and other items that are laid out in state law.

“The vote coming up on November 2 is for a continuation for the existing one penny sales tax,” Thomas said. “It is not an additional sales tax.”

She talked about the upcoming E-SPLOST package and the vote to announce to the board that they’ll be sharing the same information she presented on social media to educate voters about the package, but can’t explicitly campaign for its passage for the seventh round of funding being sought that will extend the collections another five years past the current deadline of 2026.

If voters allow the one-penny sales tax extension through E-SPLOST VII, this round of bond sales will allow the District to move forward with a new Rockmart High School Fine Arts facility to match the one just completed at Cedartown High School, Auxiliary Gymnasiums for both high schools, new field turf for both Cedartown and Rockmart High Schools, classroom additions, bathroom upgrades, heating and air replacement at facilities district-wide, roofing repairs on school buildings, technology upgrades, and new buses.

E-SPLOST has paid for items just in recent years like the expansion of the College and Career Academy facilities at both Cedartown and Rockmart High Schools, the new Fine Arts Wing at Cedartown High School, gym floors at elementary and middle schools, kitchen upgrades at Cedartown High School, just to name a few.

Voters countywide are being asked to extend the E-SPLOST through 2031 when they head to the polls on November 2. The Board of Education approved sending the request to voters this time around in August.

Early voting begins next Tuesday, October 12 and continues through on weekdays at the Cedartown precinct at the Board of Elections office at 144 West Ave., Cedartown, and at the Nathan Dean Community Center at 605 Goodyear Ave., Rockmart, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday voting sessions are available on October 16 and October 23. The final day of early voting will be Friday, October 29 before the November 2 municipal elections are held.

During the Tuesday evening work session, board members also went over the upcoming regular session agenda including the MERIT Award being presented for October, presentation of financials, field trip requests – one this month set for next April for the Rockmart High School Marching Band (grades 7 through 12) to get to go to a special performance – and some personnel items to vote on after an executive session.

The next board meeting is being held on October 12. Find out more about the Board of Education at the PSD website.