Sept. 6, 2023 • Volume 26, Issue 17 • Complimentary • BlufftonSun.com
INSIDE • Back To School Brings New Opportunities for Local Children 4A • Volunteer Wanted for 34th Annual for Beach/River Sweep 14A • After 15 Years As Mayor, Lisa Sulka Takes New Path 20A • Local Teen Sailor Wins World Title in Greece
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• Play For Parkinson’s Charity Event 60A
School Bond Referendum for $439M Will Be on November’s Ballot By Gwyneth J. Saunders CONTRIBUTOR
A new elementary school, a rebuilt high school, and a technology warehouse are among the projects that will be covered by the 2023 bond referendum proposed by the Beaufort County School District. According to Superintendent Frank Rodriguez it is not uncommon for growing school districts to need a bond referendum every four to five years to accommodate population growth and preserve existing facilities. However, it is important to note that even with this spending, it will not increase the millage rate in our community which represents the amount of property tax paid on real estate. It is measured in mills, equivalent to a tenth of a percent. “The millage is at 36.3 with the 2019 referendum and it will remain at 36.3, so we have positioned ourselves financially in a good way so that we don’t have to raise the millage in order to accomplish a $439 million bond referendum,” said Rodriguez. Projects planned under the referendum include: constructing and equipping Career and Technology Education additions at
Bluffton High School, and renovations and additions at May River High School; constructing and equipping a kitchen to be used for the Right Choices Alternative Program and the District Educational Services Center; constructing, acquiring and installing HVAC equipment at multiple school facilities; and constructing improvements to parking lots, driveways and sidewalks at multiple school facilities. A Bluffton project will seek to ease the growth around Pritchardville and May River area with a new pre-kindergarten to fifth grade school on the campus of May River High School. “We have room on that campus for a pre-K to 5, and also - on the River Ridge campus - we have room for an early childhood expansion facility, as well. We’re looking at those two places in order to serve more students,” said Rodriguez. “The population in that area is continuing to show growth. Many of our elementary schools in Bluffton are essentially right around capacity, so this is going to provide some much-needed relief.” Another major project will be the rebuilding and renovating the whole of Join us for an evening benefiting education and research.
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May River High School is one of several schools that will receive money for upgrades and expansion as part of the $439 million school bond referendum that will be on November’s ballot.
Hilton Head Island High School. “It’s a project that it’s going to involve new construction,” said Chief Operations Officer Robert Oetting. “We’re planning to build - at the very start - a three-story addition that’s going to be about 183,000
square feet. Once that is complete, we will demolish the academic portion of the building that’s there today, and what will remain is the Seahawk Cultural Center.”
Please see REFERENDUM on page 8A