First and foremost, the sales tax would not provide adequate funding to cover the repairs required at our middle schools. The lack of complete funding would then stall the progress of the repairs, inconveniencing students, faculty, and staff, and making the learning environment distracting. Additionally, by funneling all the sales tax funding into middle schools, it would prevent the district from supporting our other five facilities, their students, and addressing any unforeseen facility issues that may occur across the district.

The hospitality tax is allotted to each town rather than the school district.

The increase in taxes is overall negligible compared to the long-term impact of not supporting this referendum, as we would only see costs rise even further over the coming years. Here are some facts about what the tax change would look like for a District 2 resident:

• For every $100,000 tax value of a home, you would pay an additional $108 annually or $9.00 a month.

• The district will allocate $500,000 annually of LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) to help offset the tax burden.

• Due to the Homestead Exemption Tax, individuals aged 65 and older have a significantly reduced property tax.

Overall, the current referendum will be paid off over 24 years while the school will be completed in a much shorter time frame. This tax is a long-term solution providing immediate benefits for our students.

Building costs and maintenance costs will only continue to increase over time. Acting now to create a unified middle school will result in a lower construction cost than years down the road. In addition, having to maintain the current middle schools for educational purposes will have a continual, recurring cost.

We have been able to keep the two middle schools functional and comfortable since 1954-55. However, as is true for much aging infrastructure, we have reached the tipping point where it is not economically sound to continue paying for short-term repairs on old buildings. Continuing to pay for ongoing repairs would only put a band-aid on the problem, requiring us to revisit building a new middle school again in several years – only then, we would have already spent an additional $14 million to $25 million trying to stave off the inevitable.

No, it would not be more expensive to remodel or fix the existing schools. However, remodeling and replacing portions of these buildings would only temporarily put off the need to construct a new unified middle school. While the repairs were being conducted, our students would be displaced from their classrooms for years, which would significantly impact their educational experience. A new energy efficient school building would also provide long term cost savings.

During that phase, additions were made to all school buildings. Repairs to the existing structures were not included during that time.

Belton Middle School Construction History | Honea Path Middle School Construction History

The new school is not a response to the area’s population growth; however, like many other towns across the Upstate, Belton and Honea Path are projected to grow over the next several decades. A new middle school primarily addresses the aging buildings that have surpassed their usefulness for academic purposes. Yet with an understanding of the area’s future, the unified school will be built to accommodate 1,100 students, proactively preparing for growth and ensuring we are positioned in our new facility.

Both the towns of Belton and Honea Path have indicated they would use the current middle schools for recreation and city office usage.

Any change comes with its own challenges. A unified middle school allows us to pool our resources, ultimately reducing the student-teacher ratio to better support our middle schoolers during this transitionary time. With smaller class sizes than are currently possible, students will find better access to their teachers and administrative staff thanks to our increased space and capabilities, allowing for more faculty to assist students. Furthermore, the more efficient operation of the building will allow funding to be relocated to support middle school programming, giving students more opportunity to get involved, make friends, and learn new skills. Students will be exposed earlier to residents of other towns, helping broaden their horizons. Even after combining the two existing schools, enrollment numbers would be average for South Carolina middle schools.

With a unified middle school, there will be the need to create seventh and eighth grade athletic teams, which would increase the need for student participation. More competitive teams would in turn make participation more attractive for students. It would also give us the option for spring sports in middle school, diversifying the opportunities available to our students and giving them more time to play and learn new sports before high school.

Due to the combined BHPMS’s location, we would no longer need to bus students to the high school for their sports practices, saving time and money. Extracurriculars such as band, chorus, fine arts, leadership opportunities, and academic clubs would also be enhanced thanks to better facilities and a wider pool of interested students. We believe extracurriculars are a critical part of a student’s development, teaching teamwork, growth, and self-confidence, as well as making students more well-rounded individuals. Ensuring these activities are available to students is as important as what happens in the classroom.

We will add buses and drivers as needed to meet our students’ needs.

The layout of the car rider line will allow for car stacking, which will accommodate all car rider traffic. Currently, three public roads become blocked during arrival and dismissal at the middle schools. The combined middle school will relieve this blockage thanks to the ample parking space. Furthermore, its proximity to the high school will eliminate athletes’ bus traffic after school all year, since they do not need transit to the high school or its athletic spaces. Lastly, the staggered arrival and departure times between the middle and high school ensure that student and parent traffic will not overlap, nor will the other school’s buses impede parent traffic. 

The powerful unifying effect of BHPHS between our students, staff, and communities is evidence that this initiative can have a strong positive impact on our communities. While both Belton and Honea Path remain distinct towns with their own cultures and personalities, a stronger network and feeling of community benefits everyone, and we anticipate the new middle school providing the same impact.