Anderson School District 3 orders $60 million bond referendum for new middle school

Anderson School District 3 on Monday approved a resolution to put a bond referendum on the March 10 ballot that would authorize up to $60 million in general-obligation bonds to build a replacement middle school. The district presented renderings, a proposed site and a timeline tied to community outreach and a future ground-breaking.

Superintendent Miss H said the vote followed a multi-year facilities review that identified Star Middle School as the district’s most pressing capital need because of narrow hallways, undersized classrooms and constrained cafeteria and gym spaces. "This project is about our children," she said, describing classrooms that average about 704 square feet versus modern 850-square-foot standards and gym and cafeteria capacity limits.

The board heard that the district acquired acreage for the site near the Star post office and the Campbell tract off Good Hope Church Road and has held community meetings on designs and traffic improvements. With a successful referendum, the superintendent said the district would be ready to break ground in May 2026 under an optimistic schedule, with occupancy possibilities in 2028; she cautioned those are projections and would require multiple approvals and normal construction scheduling.

Staff presented a district 'worst-case' taxpayer impact estimate tied to a 25-year bond repayment. Using the district’s current projection, the superintendent gave an example of roughly $60 per year for a $100,000 home (about $5 per month) before homestead exemptions and other adjustments; she repeated that the figure is a conservative projection and the district does not anticipate immediate taxation at that level. "My role in this is to share this information so that at the end of the day the voter can make an informed decision," she said.

Board finance staff compared debt and operational millage across Anderson County districts and said the 15-mill figure presented is a worst-case scenario that assumes the penny sales tax that currently helps with debt service is not renewed after it sunsets in 2030. Staff said most existing district debt is structured to sunset around 2030, which could free capacity in future years.

After discussion the board voted to order the referendum; the voice vote was recorded as five in favor. With the resolution approved, the district plans continued outreach, including church and fire-department meetings and public renderings, before the March 10 vote.

The referendum resolution adopted by the board authorizes the district to issue not more than $60 million in bonds, sets the form of ballot language and directs staff to take steps necessary to place the question before the district electors.