Habersham BOE approves $15 million bond for playgrounds

CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — The Habersham County Board of Education unanimously approved a $15 million bond Monday that will provide funding for a major renovation and replacement of playgrounds across the county’s eight elementary schools.

The Series 2026 general obligation bond was one of the major business items considered during the board’s Oct. 5 regular meeting. The board’s action authorizes the bond sale and related steps needed to complete the financing, including the appointment of the bond’s authenticating agent, registrar and paying agent and preparation of the tax digest and recommendation to the Habersham County Board of Commissioners for a tax levy sufficient to pay the bond’s principal and interest.

The playground project is one of the major initiatives voters approved through the district’s ESPLOST program in May. Superintendent Patrick Franklin told the board the bond proceeds will provide the funding necessary to renovate and upgrade the elementary school playgrounds.

“This is one of the first steps renovating our playgrounds,” Franklin said. “These will be funds used to renovate and upgrade our playgrounds.”

Franklin said the project is important to him and will benefit students across the school system. He credited the voters for approving the funding and introduced Andrew Tripp, a bond-market adviser who has worked with Habersham County Schools for more than 12 years.

Franklin said Tripp has helped the school system save more than $5 million since 2012 through the refinancing of various bond series. Tripp told the board the bond work has been a collaborative effort between his firm and the school system.

The bond approval comes as the district moves into the next phase of the playground project. Assistant Superintendent David Leenman reported during the Sept. 29 work session that the district had posted a request for proposals and was preparing for site visits with interested companies. Proposals are due Oct. 27, with the district planning to evaluate the submissions and select two or three finalists for interviews.

The district hopes to bring a recommendation to the board in November. Leenman said the finalist interview panel will include staff, administrators, parents and local community stakeholders.

Hazel Grove project moves toward state funding

The board also unanimously approved the district’s FY 2028 State Capital Outlay Project Application, opening the door to potential state funding for renovations at Hazel Grove Elementary School.

The application is separate from the playground bond. During the Sept. 29 work session, Leenman said the potential Hazel Grove project would address restrooms, classrooms, administrative areas, HVAC and roof replacement.

Leenman emphasized that approval of the capital outlay application does not commit the district to completing the renovation or spending money on the project. Rather, it allows the school system to continue through the state capital outlay process and potentially access state funding if the board later decides to proceed.

The Georgia Department of Education has reviewed the project, and Leenman said $741,807 could be available toward the renovation if the district ultimately moves forward. The earliest possible start date under the state application would be April 1, 2027, with a potential project window extending through Aug. 1, 2029.

Those dates are associated with the capital outlay application and do not represent a firm construction schedule. Leenman said supplies, vendor availability and funding would all have to be considered before the district commits to the renovation.

Facilities Director Denise Gunn also told the board that even if the application were approved, the project could later be removed from consideration through another board vote.

Habersham Central reports 98.2% graduation rate

Dr. Adam Bagwell, principal of Habersham Central High School, also gave the board an update on student achievement, safety and student activities after Superintendent Patrick Franklin gave him time during the superintendent’s report.

Bagwell highlighted the school’s 98.2% graduation rate for the Class of 2026, with approximately 450 students graduating last May. He said Habersham Central has maintained a graduation rate of at least 98% every year since 2021.

Bagwell also reported that the school’s 2026 SAT mean score was 1,098, a 20-point increase from the previous year’s 1,078. The average was based on 159 SATs completed during the school year. He also highlighted the school’s U.S. history performance, saying its proficiency rate placed Habersham Central in the 85th percentile statewide.

Student safety also was a focus of Bagwell’s report. He discussed the Sept. 22 Safe Driving Summit, which brought students together for a presentation on distracted and impaired driving followed by additional sessions for students enrolled in driver’s education.

About 400 students participated in four breakout sessions covering law enforcement, sharing the road with large trucks, emergency-room trauma response and rehabilitation following serious crashes. Bagwell said the program was designed to give students a firsthand understanding of the consequences of dangerous driving.

Bagwell also highlighted three new student-led clubs at Habersham Central: HOSA, an American Sign Language Club and the Erica’s Lighthouse Empowerment Club, which focuses on student mental health.

District reports $23.2 million in revenue

Chief Financial Officer Staci Newsome presented the district’s financial report covering July 1 through Sept. 30, representing 25% of the fiscal year.

The district had received $23,230,285.94 in revenue through Sept. 30. QBE funding accounted for about 71% of revenue, with property ad valorem taxes, LOST, state grants, title ad valorem taxes, real estate and intangible taxes, alcohol revenue, federal and local revenue and interest making up the remainder.

Newsome noted that property tax collections were substantially ahead of the same point last year, with the district having received $895,664 compared with $166,095 at the same point in the prior year. LOST collections also increased, reaching $2.81 million compared with $2.73 million the previous year.

Newsome cautioned that expenditures exceed revenue early in the fiscal year, but said that is planned and strategic. Property taxes are due Nov. 15, and the district expects revenue to catch up as those collections come in.

ELOST collections also remained slightly ahead of the prior year, with September revenue totaling $927,849 compared with $907,008 in September of the previous year. Bond payments accounted for the largest share of ELOST expenditures at 58.52%, followed by facility renovations, infrastructure and equipment at 15.3%.

The board also was told that the district has completed required federal grant post reports, paid its Oct. 1 debt-service payments and has its FY 2026 audits in progress.