Education
Education

Cobb education SPLOST by the numbers

The trailers at Harmony Leland Elementary School in Mableton are the subject of complaints from many parents due to overcrowded conditions. Cobb County school officials propose constructing a replacement Harmony Leland Elementary School with funds from a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax if it passes on March 21. AJC File Photo
The trailers at Harmony Leland Elementary School in Mableton are the subject of complaints from many parents due to overcrowded conditions. Cobb County school officials propose constructing a replacement Harmony Leland Elementary School with funds from a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax if it passes on March 21. AJC File Photo
By
March 20, 2017

Voters in Cobb County go to the polls Tuesday to vote whether to extend the Special Purpose Local Option Sales tax to build new schools and buy equipment.

Here are some interesting numbers surrounding the March 21 voter referendum in Cobb County about plans to pay for school improvements in the Cobb and Marietta school districts by continuing a 1-percent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax.

  • $859.5 million - the amount of money officials hope to collect from the tax.
  • $797 million - how much money would go to Cobb from the tax.
  • $62.5 million - how much money would go to Marietta from the tax.
  • $40 million - the amount of money Cobb school board members added to the proposed total to fund potential additional classroom space.
  • 210 - the number of new classrooms that would be built in Cobb's school district.
  • $4 million - how much Marietta proposes to spend on school buses.

RELATED: See where you can early vote before special election on March 21

About the Author

Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.

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