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Education funding, future plans discussed at council work session

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Council members look over a masterplan for Chelsea High School during a work season on Nov. 29. Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle

The Chelsea City Council met in a special work session meeting on Nov. 29 to discuss possible changes in distribution of the one-cent sales tax, along with possible changes to the Nick Grant program.

The meeting was held at the request of council members Scott Weygand and Cody Sumners after the topic was discussed at the Nov. 15 council meeting. The hope was to create guidelines and limits and for the council to come to an agreement on a fair allocation of the funds. 

During the two-hour-plus meeting, the mayor and council members all weighed in with their thoughts and ideas regarding ways to determine what is covered under the program, creating new categories and setting limits on amounts that can be distributed each year.

Several council members suggested streamlining the process to make sure items requested through the Nick Grant Program are ones that cannot be funded via teacher stipends or the county. 

Since the inception of the one-cent education sales tax in 2019, the five Chelsea schools (now four, since Mt Laurel Elementary has moved to the Oak Mountain school system) have received $1,411.558.40 from Nick Grant awards.

Totals per school since Oct. 2019:

In addition to money for educational purposes, other potential options include athletic and club assistance funds and school capital project spending. 

City Clerk Crystal Ethredge, who was in attendance at the meeting, serves on the Nick Grant committee along with council members Chris Grace and Cody Sumners. The committee looks at the grants before they get passed on to the council for a vote. 

Mayor Tony Picklesimer reported that there is currently $4,417,483 in the education fund, which averages monthly revenues around $180,000 per month. 

“Our citizens have told us and expect us to spend this on our schools, that's what they told us loud and clear on July 12,” Picklesimer said. 

The mayor also presented the potential for a $15 million bond for 15 years that would have a debt service of $1.385 million, or $115,000 per month. 

“When we did the last bond issue, as I've always done, I presented bond issues to you that would allow the next administration to do a project of their own,” Picklesimer said. “That's the case with the current bond issue.” 

Another topic of discussion during the meeting was the possibility of the city partnering with the Shelby County Board of Education on a master plan at Chelsea High School for both academics and athletics, including a $16 million competition gym.

Picklesimer said that the Board of Education has presented the master plan to a group of coaches and administrators at Chelsea High School and some council members. They will also unveil it to the public at a meeting at Chelsea City Hall in January. 

“I look forward to partnering with SCBOE on facility improvements, which is what the people said they wanted to use the one-cent sales tax for- to partner with them on facilities,” Picklesimer said. “Hopefully the council will get behind it and we can support this effort.” 

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