Voters to decide on $250 million for school construction | Education | Berkeley Independent

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Voters to decide on $250 million for school construction

Published Tuesday, January 17, 2012 9:55 AM

By Dan Brown
Berkeley Independent

Photo by: Stefan Rogenmoser/Gazette

Wayne Evans and James Thomas of the district’s facilities department speak with Superintendent Rodney Thompson during a tour of the new Cane Bay Middle School last year. The school will serve as a prototype for future construction.

Berkeley County voters will get to decide in this November’s election whether to approve a $250 million school board referendum designed to fund the district’s capital construction program over the next decade.

School district staff outlined a plan during last Tuesday’s school board meeting that proposed a series of renovations and expansions to the county’s existing schools designed to manage growth and other funding options. The Berkeley County School Board voted 6-3 Tuesday to begin making plans for the referendum.

If approved in a referendum, property taxes on a $100,000 home would increase by $40 a year in 2014 and an additional $40 a year starting in 2017.

Recent census studies confirmed that Berkeley County’s population has grown 25 percent over the past 10 years.

During a November public workshop regarding student population growth in Berkeley County, figures showed enrollment increased by 850 in 2011, and this growth is expected to increase.

“We need to acknowledge that our county is a place where people want to live,” said BCSD Superintendent Rodney Thompson. “As a result, our district is growing. We must take a pro-active approach to this growth in order to ensure our facilities support the high student performance and positive climate our residents deserve.”

According to a land use study compiled recently for the district, four areas in particular are cited as ripe for residential development.

The Sheep Island and Carnes Crossroads area is expected to see over 25,000 housing units built over the next two decades; Hanahan and Goose Creek could see an additional 4,000 units; Daniel Island can anticipate another 3,000 units; and the Cypress Gardens area could experience growth of more than 3,000 additional homes.

As a result BCSD plans to build new schools in the Sheep Island, Hanahan, Carnes Crossroads and Clements Ferry areas. Facilities would utilize the new prototype model seen at Cane Bay Middle School, a state-of-the-art, energy efficient facility that is currently under construction – and on budget at $20 million to serve the Cane Bay area.

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