Following the Gwinnett Chamber August board meeting, Gwinnett Chamber President and CEO Nick Masino announced that the chamber’s board approved a resolution to support the county education SPLOST (E-SPLOST), which will be on the ballot November 3, 2020.
“Our county’s success can be directly tied to the quality of our schools,” said Nick Masino, president and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber. “The E-SPLOST is not a new tax. Extending it allows our schools to upgrade and provide technology, access and distance learning for all students and helps close the achievement gap.”
If approved, the E-SPLOST will also be used to expand schools and athletic facilities and make needed transportation investments.
“Every facility in the Gwinnett County Public Schools and Buford City Schools has benefited for more than 20 years from E-SPLOST investments. Next year we lose more than $100 million in state funds due to the pandemic. The E-SPLOST continues our schools’ exceptional education and equity and access for all our public schools’ students. Every family or employer who hires a graduate will benefit,” said Sean Murphy, chairman of the Gwinnett Kids Count campaign. “We appreciate the Chamber’s endorsement and urge voters to vote yes and invest in our schools’ and our county’s future.”
The Gwinnett Kids Count campaign was formed to build support for the E-SPLOST referendum. In addition to Murphy, campaign leaders include Norwood Davis, campaign treasurer and chief financial officer of 12Stone® Church. For more information about the Gwinnett Kids Count campaign, visit www.gwinnettkids2020.com.
The Gwinnett Chamber November 2020 Education SPLOST Resolution reads as follows:
Whereas the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors recognizes that an educated workforce is the very foundation of economic and community development, and
Whereas Gwinnett County Public Schools is recognized nationally as one of the highest-performing urban school districts in the United States, and
Whereas Gwinnett County Public Schools is the largest public school system in the State of Georgia and the 12th largest in the nation, and
Whereas Gwinnett County Public Schools continues to grow in student enrollment every year, and
Whereas sustained and adequate funding for new facilities and system-wide capital and safety improvements is key to the continued ability of Gwinnett County Public Schools and Buford City Schools to provide the children of Gwinnett County with exceptional education, and
Whereas Gwinnett County Public Schools and Buford City Schools are committed to equipping their school leaders and teachers with the needed tools and resources for effective teaching and strengthening of the overall education workforce and teaching profession, and
Whereas continued funding is essential to providing updated technology and resources and ensuring equitable access to digital learning for all students, and
Whereas every facility in the Gwinnett County Public Schools and Buford City Schools has benefitted for more than 20 years from E-SPLOST investments, and
Whereas the extension of the one-penny sales tax on retail sales incurs no tax increase nor new tax for the citizens of Gwinnett County,
Be it therefore resolved that the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors supports the referendum to extend the one-cent sales tax on retail sales through June 30, 2027 for Gwinnett County Public Schools and Buford City Schools, and encourages all registered voters in Gwinnett County to vote in favor of the referendum scheduled for November 3, 2020.