Hancock County residents vote on school bond funding

HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. (WXXV)- A major school funding decision is in the hands of Hancock County voters Tuesday.

Hancock County voters are deciding the fate of a $49 million school bond referendum that would invest in the future of local students and the institutions they attend.

The proposal would impact every school in the Hancock County District, funding a wide range of capital improvements including new air conditioning systems, addressing roof leaks, and improving the traffic flow near campuses to increase security during busy school hours. Superintendent Rhett Ladner said, “Then we started looking at, how we could do this without impacting out tax payers in a negative way. So, taking that old bond and with the new bond we’re putting forth, if that’s approved, we’ll be able to take the same millage that we’ve been using, the same tax levy, we’re just going to extend it over a longer period of time. So, that way it won’t negatively impact our tax payers.”

These projects would address years of wear and tear, while supporting a safer and more effective learning environment for students. Bay St. Louis resident Kaitlyn Ward said, “I am a parent of three boys, two of which are with the school district right now. One is in middle school and the other is in elementary. I’m excited that our district is putting our kids first and thinking about the future and how much we’re going to grow as a district, how much we’ve grown since I was a student at Hancock. We desperately need these upgrades and it’s only benefiting our kids. So, I can’t see how anyone would want to say no.”

If approved, some projects could break ground as early as this summer, modernizing the facilities while address long-standing infrastructure needs across the district.