Voters deny $588M school bond, Lancaster County officials say

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Voters in Lancaster County said no to a $588 million school bond on Tuesday, according to preliminary results.

>>CLICK HERE for the latest election results

The bond would have raised property taxes to pay for new schools and upgrades.

But retired Lancaster County School Administrator Bryan Vaughn said the plan was too expensive.

“I think it’s a price tag issue; I think it’s a trust issue,” said Vaughn. “The bond needs to be much smaller. There are ways we can do it without a tax increase.”

On Wednesday, Channel 9′s Tina Terry asked school leaders where things would go from here.

“We’re going to look at current enrollment studies; we’ll look at capacity in building enrollment and all current funding sources,” said district spokesperson Elizabeth Bryant.

Bryant went on to say that leaders will consider recent feedback from the public as well as get two new school board members up to speed.

Eventually, the district may consider adding mobile classrooms to crowded schools, redrawing district lines, or another bond.

“We want them to be fully informed so we could be looking at a one-to-two-year process,” said Bryant.

Unofficial results show nearly 52,000 people voted on the bond issues. Bryant said the district is grateful to see so many people use their voice by voting.

©2024 Cox Media Group