As the Aiken County School Board prepares to take a systematic look at its school facilities, the district administration suggests that the economic climate is favorable for a bond issue for new construction and renovations.

Any issue of general obligation bonds would require approval of Aiken County voters in a public referendum.

A facility report received by the School Board in March 2008 identified about $350 million in facility needs in the district and recommended a first-phase project for about $150 million.

In a memo to the School Board, district administrators said a bond referendum for that amount might require a millage increase of only two to three mills. For owner-occupied homes, taxpayers would see their tax bill go up $8 to $12 per $100,000 of value. For a second residence, the tax increase would be $12 to $18 per $100,000 of value.

With the district dealing with ongoing state budget cuts in the past 16 months, the School Board has had limited discussions about facilities since then.

At a meeting Tuesday, the Board approved a timeline for a formal process, including a study session on the Kahn report Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 6:15 p.m., before the regular board meeting at 7 p.m.

"It's an opportunity now to bring this to the forefront," said Board Chair Dr. Christine Harkins following Tuesday's meeting. "We are aware that we have facility needs in our district and scarce dollars. We will need additional money at some point for new facilities, repairs and major maintenance, but the dollars are getting less and less."

Bond rates are down substantially, Harkins said, and supplies and construction materials would be available at lower cost.

"We have construction companies desperate to find work," she said. "For us, the field is fertile."

In the memo, district officials outlined reasons for "why now?" with regard to the prospect of substantial expenditures on facility needs.

* The needs are not going away and will become more profound over time.

* The "five-year" building plan approach the district has used for nearly three decades has worked well in the past. That process generates $5 million to $7 million a year for new construction or major renovations. With construction costs rising in recent years, a new elementary school would take at least three budget years to finance.

Still, construction costs are falling at the moment and "this creates an optimum opportunity for considering the implementation of a comprehensive program," the memorandum stated.

The proposed planning process would include staff and public input on facility needs, programmatic facility needs, prioritization of needs and the financial issues involved. A timeline proposed by the administration calls for Board action in December but left the door open for the process to continue through May 2010 if the Board needs additional time.

During public participation at Tuesday's meeting, Public Education Partners Board Chairman Tim O'Briant said the education foundation is offering its active support for a bond referendum for school facilities.

"It's been 33 years since the Board asked voters to support a referendum," O'Briant said. "The Board funded 12 new schools since then with no referendums, and that is excellent stewardship. But 46 percent of students still attend schools built before 1960."

No high school student attends a school designed for today's technology. The Public Education Partners board believes the lack of updated facilities hurts Aiken County and its economic development growth, O'Briant said.

"Because of the current bond market, this is a historic opportunity," he said. "This is a half-price sale, where you can get a lot for less."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.