The M.B. Kahn Demographics and Facility Needs Assessment Report was presented to the Aiken County Board of Education on March 25 and discussed on April 22. The construction company supposedly identified about $357 million in long-term facility needs throughout the district, the first phase of which is estimated to cost $150 million.
The school board has accepted the M.B. Kahn report as information, but not yet approved it. Ray Fleming said that the report was one company's recommendation and that nothing was chiseled in stone regarding the prioritization of projects or the amount of work needed.
John Wesley Hightower said that he had not yet looked at the report in depth, made notes or come up with questions. After the school district attorney told board members that the only financing option open to them was a bond referendum, Jack Hunter wanted the board to express its willingness to pass a bond referendum before the needs were known.
I disagree with the need for a bond referendum, as did a majority of voters in the Lexington-Richland 5 school district. In November, they rejected a $256.5 million bond for school construction and renovation.
I also disagree with the South Carolina School Boards Association's position on increasing the constitutional limit on bonded indebtedness, because spending would increase to the new limit. Thankfully, lease-purchase arrangements were outlawed.
Other means exist to fund school facilities. However, better projections must precede Aiken County school construction projects. North Augusta residents repeatedly told district officials that the $12.7 million Mossy Creek Elementary School was being built too small. Very soon after it opened, mobile classrooms were required there.
On Nov. 13, I spoke to the board about changing state law to allow school districts to impose impact fees -- charges on new development to cover costs that arise from growth. A 2005 bill would have done that, but it died in committee.
Consider these other sources for school construction and renovation:
- Constructing sturdy, scalable, economical, energy-efficient and safe prototype schools (no new architects and no new floor plans needed);
- Renovating vacant big boxes;
- Requesting private donations through DonorsChoose.org, ChipIn.com, or "buy-a-brick" type campaigns;
- Writing grants from government and foundation sources;
- Pursuing tax credits, public-private partnerships and privately financed schools;
- Using donated materials and freewill offerings (like Moses' Old Testament tabernacle building collection);
- Accepting donated time for school projects, similar to what Habitat for Humanity does;
- And encouraging the naming of rooms or facilities for generous donors.
With a national economy weakening and South Carolina facing deep budget cuts, it's time to explore nonreferendum methods of funding school facilities.
Vicki Simons is a taxpayer advocate who lives in Aiken County.
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