Nathan – Here is the link to the latest School District 5 “professional” enrollment study presented in February. (You mentioned Richland County Growth in your March post.) It’s much more realistic than previous data, but quite startling to see that instead of growing by 9,000 students in ten years as predicted before the bond referendum, we will in actually decline by 700 students. That’s a 10,000 student swing! In fact, the district’s three high schools are only expected to grow by a total of 214 students and elementary schools will drop by 913 students. If Chapin High gets their expansion to 1,700 students as promised in the bond referendum, we’ll be sitting pretty!

My concern, though, is that three new schools — an elementary, middle and high school — were also promised in the bond referendum to accommodate the massive influx of students. Now that it’s very clear enrollment was over-projected, and now that we see the economy struggling, teachers getting laid off, and people losing their homes, my question to you is what can be done to convince District 5 board members to slow down or bow out gracefully on constructing those new schools until after they figure out how we’re going to pay to operate them without cutting out anymore from our existing schools? After all, there is only one pot of money to pay for schools whether it’s 20 schools or 23.

Apparently, there is a provision in Act 388 that allows school districts to increase the operating millage in certain situations — like if you have a deficit in the previous year — like this year. But it is our businesses who are going to be hit with that tax increase and that certainly wouldn’t be good for them in our current economic situation and since that tax can be passed down to us through increased costs of goods, that wouldn’t be good for us either.

I certainly would appreciate any advice you have. You are doing a super job representing us. We are fortunate to have someone who cares so much for our community!

PS I appreciate your work towards transparency!!!

I’ve got it down on my calendar and look forwarding to meeting with y’all!

Nathan

How does one go about getting an all way stop sign on the corners of Salem Church Road and North Lake ? Trying to make a left turn from Salem Church is dangerous at dark. One cannot see headlights coming over the rise in the road and traffic is very heavy on North Lake at rush hours making it almost impossible to make that same left turn. I’ll help with any suggestins you might have.

Susan Ryal
803 397-9133 (C)
803 732-9114 (H)

John Steinberger
843-225-4394

Thank you for your efffort to keep us informed.

I live in Ascot and am currently on the Ascot HOA Board. We have formed an Ascot Network of retired and semi-retired residents that meets on the 3rd Tueasday morning of each month, at the Clubhouse. The group is small but growing. The group meets from 9:00 – 10:00 AM.

This group would very much like for you to stop by to join us at 9:00 AM for about 30 minutes on May 19th to give us an update. Would this be possible ? Thank you in advance.

Doug Martin
803 447-4218