The Houston County Board of Education on Nov. 10 certified the results of an educational sales tax continuation election and approved a $5 million intergovernmental agreement with Houston County to support construction of a STEM & Career Academy.

Dr. Brown, presenting the county partnership, said the county commission approved the contribution at its October meeting and described the agreement as a financial partnership for construction of the STEM Academy. "It's in the amount of $5,000,000," Dr. Brown said. Miss Johnson moved to approve the agreement; the motion passed 7-0.

Dr. Brown also presented the ESPLOST election-results resolution and superintendent certification reporting an approximate 77% voter approval. Mr. Crockett moved to approve the resolution and the certification authorizing continuation of the educational special purpose local option sales tax and the issuance of general‑obligation debt not to exceed $30,000,000; the board approved the motion, 7-0.

The board did not debate alternative funding sources during the meeting. The actions commit the district to proceed with the planned capital project financing steps and a county contribution that district staff said will be used for the STEM & Career Academy construction. The board recorded the formal motions and unanimous votes on both items and moved on to other business.

Next steps: the intergovernmental agreement and the ESPLOST certification provide funding direction for the district’s capital-program work; staff will follow up on project implementation and any state reporting requirements tied to capital outlay funds.