School tax listening tour session to start earlier

A Beaufort County community education group has changed the start time of its first listening tour session on the school district’s possible 1 percent educational sales tax.

The Citizens Advocating Responsible Education meeting is now scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the St. Helena Island library, 1025 Sea Island Pkwy., St. Helena.

The times of the two other sessions are unchanged:

- 6:30 p.m. March 16 at the community room of Palmetto Electric Cooperative, 111 Mathews Drive, Hilton Head Island

- 6:30 p.m. March 30 at Caddy’s at Rose Hill Clubhouse, 4 Clubhouse Drive, Bluffton

The public is invited.

Superintendent Jeff Moss has proposed the board ask voters to approve a 1 percent educational sales tax in November. The tax is estimated to generate about $282 million over 10 years for the construction of several schools and maintenance projects like roof and HVAC replacements.

Moss asked the body to decide by April whether to pursue a sales tax. It would need to finalize a referendum question by Aug. 15.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 2:25 PM with the headline "School tax listening tour session to start earlier."