Houston BOE approves E-SPLOST resolution for March 1 vote

PERRY -- The Houston County school board gave official approval to a proposal for the county's next 1-cent sales tax initiative at its regular meeting Tuesday.

The list of general projects includes provisions for renovations, technology upgrades, buses and even a new elementary school. Superintendent Mark Scott said district officials will be discussing specifics at schools and organizations around the county, but the referendum resolution needed board approval first.

"It allows you to begin planning," he said. "It's difficult to got out and talk to the community about that without the board knowing what you're talking about."

Scott also said the referendum resolution needed to be on this month's agenda to meet Board of Elections deadlines for a March 1 public vote. The sales tax would take effect when the current one expires on March 31, 2017.

Among the construction needs is a projected expansion at Veterans High School, where as many as 700 new classroom seats could be needed by the end of the E-SPLOST term in 2022. Veterans principal Chris Brown said it was "exciting" to work at a growing school, where more students require new teachers, who bring new ideas.

That growing student body also requires administrative focus.

"With growth comes change, so we have to make sure we're always evaluating our policies and procedures," Brown said.

The board also honored 71 juniors and seniors who notched a 5, the highest score possible, on one or more AP tests. In that group, four students collected three such scores, with Veterans High senior Shelby Burnette scoring a 5 on four tests -- chemistry, English language and composition, psychology and U.S. history.

"It speaks volumes of her," Brown said. "It's a tremendous feat."

Burnette, who said chemistry was her favorite AP course "by far," was recently accepted to the University of South Carolina. She hopes to major in sports marketing on the way to a career as an events coordinator for the Southeastern Conference.

Also a cheerleader, Burnette said time management was the key to balancing so many rigorous courses with other commitments, but she also credited caffeine.

"Frankly, a lot of coffee," she said. "You've got to manage your time wisely and prioritize what's important."

To contact writer Jeremy Timmerman, call 744-4331 or find him on Twitter@MTJTimm.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Houston BOE approves E-SPLOST resolution for March 1 vote ."