FORT MILL, S.C. — On Tuesday, voters in Fort Mill voted to approve a $204 million bond referendum that the Fort Mill School District says would cover some of its most immediate needs over the next five years.
The bond referendum passed overwhelmingly, according to unofficial results.
One of those needs is a new middle school that would be built next to an elementary school that's already under construction. Only the middle school is included in the bond funding. District leaders say the school is necessary to alleviate crowding and keep class sizes manageable for teachers.
"If you look back 25 years the district has more than tripled in size,” Joseph Burke the Chief Communication Officer for Fort Mill Schools, said. “We’re a little bit of a victim of our own success, people move here for the schools but that in turn causes stress on the system and requires additional facilities.”
The district is also looking to fund a new early childhood education center, as recent data showed just about half of the district’s students coming into kindergarten weren’t prepared.
"We found that the more prepared they are coming into kindergarten, the better outcomes we see later," Burke said. "Right now, about 54% of our kindergartners come in on grade level and prepared, so we would like to be able to up that number using this center."
On Tuesday, Gonzalo Trenosky was casting his ballot.
“I think it's really going to be a positive thing, as it results in better education for kids and infrastructure for the county," Trenosky said.
On Tuesday morning, York County Election Office officials said voter turnout has been low.
Taxpayers will also be contributing to technology upgrades, property for future schools and maintenance projects.
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