Three to one. That’s the margin of “yes” to “no” votes in the November 3 referendum to renew the education special purpose local option sales tax (E-SPLOST) to benefit Gwinnett County Public Schools and Buford City Schools. Agreeing that “Gwinnett Kids Count!” 75 percent of the voters approved extending the one-cent tax that has made it possible for us to meet our growth and capital needs since 1997. The referendum passed in all 156 precincts, ensuring that needed classrooms, maintenance improvements, and technology advancements in every school will be funded through 2022!
With past E-SPLOSTs the school district has earned a strong record of accountability. Success on November 3 depended on getting the message out about our ongoing needs and the plans to address them. For this important work we relied on a campaign team of citizens who could promote the E-SPLOST in ways the school district could not.
Immense gratitude is owed to the leadership of the Gwinnett Kids Count! team – chairman Sean Murphy, treasurer Norwood Davis, and counsel Mike Levengood. They devoted countless hours to raising funds, planning strategy, speaking to community groups, distributing campaign materials, and talking with the news media. These champions of the E-SPLOST effort were assisted by a stalwart group of 21 “cluster captains” representing every part of the county. (See list below). These enthusiastic workers on the ground in their communities played critical roles in informing voters about E-SPLOST and reminding them to vote. Special mention goes to captains Ron Weber and Carla White, but to each one we say, “We cannot thank you enough for your help!”
We also are grateful to the many individuals and companies who donated to the campaign committee, wrote letters to the editor, or shared their professional expertise, as did Pam Ledbetter and Jon Richards. Most of all we are indebted to the voters who supported our cause. We do not take their vote of confidence for granted, knowing we must deliver on what was promised. We never forget that our schools belong to the people of Gwinnett County, and they deserve our best in managing the dollars they give us to provide classrooms and technology for the county’s students. With thanks, we pledge them nothing less.
Special thanks to our E-SPLOST Cluster Captains:
Archer – Melissa Gillis
Berkmar – Antonio Molina
Brookwood – Ron Weber
Central Gwinnett – Lynn Serrian
Collins Hill – Tim Krajec
Dacula – Greg Cantrell
Discovery – Carla White
Duluth – Judy and Scott Gage
Grayson – Laura Sims
Lanier – Karen Moore
Meadowcreek – Joy Monroe
Mill Creek – Andrea Braun
Mountain View – Terra Winter
Norcross – Bob Chapin
North Gwinnett – Sheila Crumrine
Parkview – Ryan Sauers
Peachtree Ridge – Amy Bray
Shiloh – Ed Derricho
South Gwinnett – Chris Snell
Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology – Helen Loyd
Phoenix HS – Cindy Murphy
