APS SPLOST results: Atlanta penny sales tax passes

Voters approved the Atlanta school district's SPLOST, the penny sales tax used to pay for school construction and renovations and other work, Tuesday.

Penny sales taxes in both Fulton and DeKalb counties were approved yesterday.

Atlanta Public Schools expects to collect about $464 million from the tax. This isn't exactly a new tax: Atlanta has had a school sales tax for years to help fund capital projects. This basically continues that tax.

Atlanta's penny sales tax spending plan includes:

$100 million to relieve crowding in Grady High School and the schools feeding into it;
$49.9 million for renovations and construction at the low-performing schools APS has targeted for intensive improvement efforts;
$8.1 million to ensure all high schools have field houses and artificial turf fields;
$47 million for technology purchases, including $10 million for phase one of a project to give middle and high school students their own digital devices; and
$5 million to upgrade security cameras and fire alarms.

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