The Houston County Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a motion to accept the superintendent's recommendation to place a referendum on the ballot to continue a 1% sales tax for education effective April 1, 2027, and to allow the district to issue $30,000,000 in general obligation (G.O.) debt to expedite capital outlay projects.

The board’s action came during the July regular meeting, when Board Member Mr. Nichols made the motion and the board voted in favor. Mr. Nichols presented the recommendation and described the long-term capital work funded by the current sales tax, saying, “I make a motion that we accept the superintendent's recommendation of the referendum authorizing the continuous of the 1% sales tax for education effective 04/01/2027 and allow the district to issue $30,000,000 in general obligation debt to expediate the capital outlay projects. Financial impact for the 1% is gonna be $275,000,000.” The motion carried on a recorded board vote (6–0).

Why it matters: The board framed the referendum and debt issuance as the vehicle to continue financing large-scale school improvements the district has completed over prior years and to accelerate remaining projects. The motion text cited an expected financial impact of $275,000,000 for the 1% sales tax; the board did not provide a detailed breakout of the $275 million figure at the meeting.

What the board approved related to capital projects: During the same meeting the board approved certificates of completion from the Georgia Department of Education for capital outlay projects at Huntington Middle School, Thompson Middle School, and Warner Robins High School (HVAC work) and Westside renovations. The board also approved an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Houston County (the county board of commissioners) for a deceleration lane about 500 feet long at King's Chapel Elementary School intended to improve traffic flow and student drop-off access. Separately, the board approved a contract revision with JWS LLC related to King's Chapel Elementary parking-lot improvements; the revision’s financial impact was stated as $109,760.

Discussion vs. decisions: Board members spoke in favor of continuing a funding source they said has enabled recent construction and upgrades — Mr. Nichols noted the visible facilities the tax has supported. The transcript records supportive remarks about community backing and the district’s past projects. The board’s actions were formal motions and votes; no additional conditional direction (for example, referenda language drafting or bond counsel engagement steps) was recorded on the public transcript during the motion.

Next steps and context: The board’s vote places the referendum recommendation and the authorization to issue G.O. debt into the district’s formal record and begins the administrative steps required before any ballot measure. The board also recorded approvals of state capital outlay certificates and the small contract and road-construction IGA related to King's Chapel Elementary. The meeting later recessed into an executive session for a student matter.