By By JOHN DILMORE JR. Publisher
Escambia County overwhelmingly voted "yes" for
education yesterday, choosing to renew a three-mill
education tax and implement a new 10-mill measure to
provide local monies for a school system hit hard by
state funding cuts.
With all precincts reporting, the final tally was 4,144
votes in favor of the education tax, 2,399 against. The
ratio: 63.33 percent of voters said "yes," while only
36.66 percent chose "no."
And the tax won out in most individual voting
precincts, showing a unity among county voters that
not everyone expected going in.
Brewton City School Board President Stephanie
Walker, who led the county-wide campaign in favor of
the tax measure, said that everyone should come out of
the election feeling good about what was accomplished.
Walker said.
Brewton City Schools Superintendent Lynn Smith
said that the vote's results would become more and
more apparent over time.
said. "The people of this county will appreciate this,
realize how big it is, in the years to come. They had a
vision, and they followed it."
Escambia County School District Superintendent
Melvin "Buck" Powell said that while he has been
hopeful of the tax's passage, he never dreamed it
would be approved by such a wide margin.
their overwhelming support," Powell said. "They
ensure a legacy of education to future generations here.
And I want to thank everyone who worked so hard for
this."