This month, Atlanta voters have a chance to weigh in directly on more than $464 million in Atlanta Public Schools spending.
That’s the amount the school district expects to collect from a one-cent Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or SPLOST, that’s on the ballot this month. This isn’t exactly a new tax: Atlanta has had a school sales tax for years to help fund capital projects.This would basically continue that tax. Fulton, DeKalb, Atlanta Public Schools and city of Decatur schools all have school sales taxes up for vote this month.
Early voting runs through Friday. Election Day is Tuesday.
Atlanta’s 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.