YES  

Early Voting: Oct 19-31st
Election Day: Nov 3rd

This Is Our Time

 Vote “Yes” on the Darlington County School District Ballot Question

See the Plan
Voter Info

What a yes vote does

The proposal grew out of the district's independent 2024 Facilities Study and two years of community conversation. It is one countywide plan, and the district has published the details for anyone to read.

1. Builds three schools where the study found the greatest need

Independent experts assessed every district building. The three projects on the ballot are the ones that assessment pointed to: Hartsville High, Spaulding Middle, and Darlington's two aging elementary schools.

2. Relies on the district's current debt service tax rate

The district projects that, based on current financial projections, the bonds could be repaid from existing debt service capacity and projected revenue growth without an increase in the current debt service tax rate.

3. Relies on the district's current debt service tax rate

The district projects that, based on current financial projections, the bonds could be repaid from existing debt service capacity and projected revenue growth without an increase in the current debt service tax rate.

The plan, school by school

Three communities, one district, one vote. Here is what each project would replace and what it would deliver. Any images shown here are conceptual and not final designs.

The question as it will appear on your ballot:

Local Question — School District of Darlington County

Shall the Darlington County Board of Education, South Carolina, be authorized to issue and sell, either at one time as a single issue or from time to time as several separate issues, general obligation bonds of School District of Darlington County, South Carolina, in the total principal amount of not to exceed $250,000,000, the proceeds of which shall be applied to defray costs of issuance of such bonds and the costs of acquiring, constructing, furnishing, and equipping, including, without limitation, the purchase of real property: a) a new Hartsville High School; b) a new Spaulding Middle School; c) a new Darlington Elementary School; d) upgrades to various schools and other School District facilities including, without limitation, safety and security upgrades; and e) to the extent proceeds of such general obligation bonds remain available and in such priority as determined by the Darlington County Board of Education, South Carolina, renovation, repairing, expanding, equipping, and furnishing or other facilities of the School District, all of such costs to include the cost of acquiring, constructing, furnishing, and equipping such projects, including without limitation the cost of technology improvements, and the costs of acquiring any real property that may be necessary for the completion of any project, and in such order of priority as may be determined by the Darlington County Board of Education, South Carolina, from time to time?

Yes, In Favor of the Question (marked)
No, Opposed to the Question

Question text as provided to the campaign. The Yes mark is the campaign’s recommendation, not part of the official ballot.

Why now?

Modern Learning Spaces

Safe, state-of-the-art facilities designed for today's learners and tomorrow's leaders.

9,000

students the district serves across 20 schools and facilities.

Stronger Communities

Investing in our students builds a stronger, healthier Darlington County.

1950s

through the 1970s: when many district buildings were constructed.

Brighter Futures

Every child deserves the best chance to succeed - right here at home.

75+

years old: the age of some of the buildings our children learn in today.

Economic Growth

Great schools attract families, support local businesses and create opportunities for the future.

17

separate buildings that make up the current Hartsville High School campus.

The district notes that construction costs have increased in recent years and that delaying future projects could result in higher costs. Acting now means today's students, and the ones behind them, get the benefit sooner.

This district has delivered before. Over the past two decades it has built new middle schools, the Darlington County Institute of Technology, and four new elementary schools — most recently Black Creek Elementary. A Yes vote builds on that record.

Questions people are asking

  • Darlington County is one countywide school district. Taxpayers across the county support schools in Darlington, Hartsville, and Lamar no matter where they live, and that has always been the case. The three projects came out of a single facilities study, so the district presents them as one districtwide plan and asks voters to consider them together.

  • Lamar’s Spaulding Middle School

    On district-owned property at Lamar-Spaulding Elementary School.

    Darlington K-5 School

    On district-owned property that is also home to Darlington Middle School and the Darlington County Institute of Technology.

    Hartsville High School

    Not yet finalized. The district originally considered district-owned property near Kelleytown Stadium; after community feedback, the board decided to look at other locations and is continuing to evaluate sites. No land purchase is required before the referendum.

  • Finalized

    The three projects on the ballot, the borrowing limit of $250 million, the Lamar and Darlington sites, and that Hartsville High School and Spaulding Middle School keep their names, grade levels, and communities.

    Not yet finalized

    The Hartsville High School site; the name of the new Darlington elementary school, which will be chosen under Board of Education policy because it is a new school; final building designs (any images are conceptual); and the future use of existing campuses. Decisions on those will come through the Board of Education's normal public process.

  • There is no single plan; each property would be considered case by case based on its condition, community needs, and available opportunities. The district has done this before: the former Rosenwald Elementary in Society Hill is now a CareSouth medical facility, and the former Washington Street Elementary in Hartsville houses Head Start, the Boys & Girls Club, and other community services. In Darlington, the district is working with a developer on potential housing at the former Brunson-Dargan campus. Any future use would go before the Board of Education under its policies.

  • Hartsville High School and Spaulding Middle School keep their names and identities; they are moving to new buildings, not becoming new schools. The Darlington elementary school combines Pate and Brockington into a new school, so its name will be selected under Board of Education policy.

  • The board commissioned independent experts to assess every school and facility. Their 2024 Facilities Study built on the 2012 and 2019 studies and identified the areas of greatest need. The board developed a proposal around Hartsville High, Brockington, Pate, and Spaulding Middle, then revised it after community feedback into the plan on the ballot. The studies are public on the district website.

  • The district would continue operating in its existing facilities. The district notes that construction costs have increased in recent years and that delaying future projects could result in higher costs.