DECATUR, Ga. — Voters in the City of Decatur will get a more direct say in how the school board moves forward with a controversial new school facility.
Channel 2 Action News reported in March, State Sen. Elena Parent sponsored legislation that requires Decatur voters directly approve projects with costs over $20 million.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed off on the bill on Tuesday, adding a new hurdle to the school board’s proposal.
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City Schools of Decatur approved a bond of $23 million to build a planned Early Childhood Learning Center, but not all of the city’s residents were sold on the building, or how the 40-year bonds were approved.
In November, a group of Decatur residents began efforts to block the bond issuance.
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Before the legislation was approved, Decatur’s legislators, state Reps. Mary Margaret Oliver and Omari Crawford, are also supportive of a referendum.
Parent, Oliver and Crawford sent a letter on March 15 to the Decatur City Commission urging a voluntary referendum. Kemp’s approval of the legislation shifts the referendum from voluntary to mandatory.
One of the residents contesting the bond validation by City Schools of Decatur, Leah Humphries, said they challenged the bond in response to what they said were broad concerns about the process.
The school board has fought to move forward.
In January, a court battle over the bond stalled and intervenors were preparing to appeal when an attorney representing the district announced plans to seek damages and a surety bond over the case if further appeals failed.
That move made intervenors back off over the financial burden.
Now, the bond revenue approved by the school board will not be able to be used until a vote is held and gets majority of approval.
The $23 million for the Early Childhood Learning Center “represents one of the largest financial commitments in Decatur’s recent history,” Humphries said in a letter sent to members of the community shared with Channel 2 Action News.
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