Vote ‘yes’ for Beaufort County public schools in Nov. 5 bond referendum | Opinion

Beaufort County voters should vote “yes” on both school bond referendum questions Nov. 5.

That would enable borrowing of up to $345 million to address school crowding, improve school safety, replace a worn building and renovate others, improve athletic fields and playgrounds, expand career and technology education in two high schools, and provide technology infrastructure upgrades at all district schools.

It is a reasonable ask, and the cost to property owners is acceptable at $56 per year for a home valued at $200,000.

Voters have recently turned down two other requests from the Beaufort County Board of Education. And even as staunch supporters of the public schools, we could not blame them.

The public did not trust former superintendent Jeffrey Moss for good reason. And a majority on the school board, acting as bloc in supporting Moss, also had lost public trust through childish infighting, secrecy and a total breakdown in civility.

But that dark period is behind us now. Moss is gone, and so is that school board majority bloc. The last bond referendum was so soundly defeated that all involved finally got the message that Moss must leave, and he did.

Now the public can trust the school district, and we’re convinced that this bond referendum will address true needs.

That faith that the board will use the money wisely shows in the unprecedented number of endorsements by local groups, including the county Republican and Democratic parties; the League of Women Voters representing the Beaufort area and the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton area; the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce; the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce; the Greater Island Council; the Town of Bluffton; the Southern Beaufort County Democratic Club; Lowcountry Indivisibles; the Hilton Head Island area Association of Realtors; and the Beaufort-Jasper Board of Realtors.

In the 11 years since voters last approved a school bond issue, the district has grown by 3,000 students. The crux of the problem is in Bluffton, and growth in Bluffton is far from finished. That issue cannot be ignored any longer.

Capital improvement by countywide vote is not a great way to do it, but it is the hand we have been dealt. It means that for countywide approval, the referendum must address issues countywide, even if the greatest need lies in one pocket of the county.

And since state dollars go to operations, not capital improvements, referendums become crucial.

Also, state law — not local choice — mandates that real property taxes for school operations are paid only by second-home owners and businesses. Locals (and visitors) pay for school operations through a 1 percent sales tax. Locals do pay property taxes, however, for school capital improvements, so the least we can do as residents of Beaufort County is to pitch in on this bond referendum.

The district promises to create a committee of community leaders to monitor expenditures of funds generated by a successful bond referendum. That was done years ago after a successful referendum, and it worked well.

Now is the time to show support for the public schools.