Spartanburg County School District 2 voters will head to the polls in November to decide the fate of two linked ballot questions aimed at relieving overcrowded classrooms and modernizing aging campus facilities across the district's 14 schools. It marks the first time in a decade that district voters have been asked to weigh in on the future of their schools, as rapid growth in northeastern Spartanburg County has pushed enrollment well past capacity at several buildings.
The district's board of trustees approved the resolution putting the referendum on the ballot during its regular meeting on August 11, according to Spartanburg County School District 2. As WYFF News 4 reports, the resolution set up a two-question structure: Question 1 is a no-tax-increase request to help build a new K-8 school and fund additions at Cooley Springs-Fingerville and Mayo elementary schools, while Question 2 asks voters to approve a 5-mill tax increase for campus-wide safety, athletic, and playground upgrades. Under state law, Question 2 will not pass unless voters also approve Question 1.
Growth Outpacing Classroom Space
District enrollment climbed from just over 10,500 students in 2019 to nearly 12,300 in 2026, and a district-commissioned demographic study projects the student population could reach 15,000 within the next decade, per the district's own referendum materials. That growth mirrors what's happening across the county: Spartanburg County's population grew 16.1% between April 2020 and July 2025, reaching 380,857 residents and ranking as the third-fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country in 2025, according to the Post and Courier.
Superintendent Tim Newman said existing land cannot support adding classrooms at buildings other than the two identified in Question 1, and that failure to build new schools and add classrooms would mean putting more students into existing classrooms, per the same WYFF report. Newman also said the district wants safe, modern outdoor spaces for children at every school in the system, not just the fast-growing ones.
What Question 2 Would Fund
Question 2's tax increase would run $20 per year for a $100,000 primary home and $30 per year for a $100,000 business or rental property, the station's report notes. In exchange, the money would fund upgraded athletic facilities at all middle schools, major renovations at Boiling Springs High School and Chesnee High School, and playground improvements at all nine elementary schools. The proposal also includes a new press box, restrooms, concessions and ticketing areas, aluminum home-stand seating, expanded handicap parking, and stand handrails at athletic venues. District 2 leaders have posted a calculator on the district's referendum webpage so residents can estimate their own annual increase under Question 2.
District 2 spans roughly 134 square miles across northeastern Spartanburg County, stretching from Interstate 85 north to the North Carolina state line and covering the communities of Boiling Springs, Chesnee, Mayo, Valley Falls, and Southern Shops, according to a district accreditation report. All 14 of the district's campuses would see facility or playground improvements if both questions pass, meaning the tax increase's reach would extend well beyond the growth corridors driving the new-construction push.
A Decade Since the Last Bond
The last time District 2 voters approved a bond referendum was in fall 2016, when funding went toward building the current Boiling Springs High School campus, which opened in 2019, per a historical account cited from Wikipedia. If November's referendum fails, district leaders have said they will consider a “Plan B or Plan C,” though specifics of those alternatives have not been detailed.
District 2 isn't the only Spartanburg County school system asking voters for capital money this year. In neighboring Spartanburg County School District 6, voters approved a $395 million bond referendum on March 31 to fund nine major capital projects, including two new elementary schools and a new middle school, without raising the debt service tax rate, according to county election records. That contrast could shape how District 2 voters weigh the tax increase attached to Question 2.
Under the South Carolina School Bond Act, codified at Section 59-71-30, public school bond issues are subject to referendum requirements, according to the South Carolina Legislature. Separately, state lawmakers introduced legislation in May 2025, Bill 4561, concerning general-obligation debt or levies and November statewide general elections.
The referendum comes as the district also touts recent academic milestones. District 2 named Chesnee High School English teacher Megan Coffey its 2026-2027 District Teacher of the Year on August 1, and the district has noted that 74% of students at Sugar Ridge Elementary met or exceeded state standards in English Language Arts, according to district announcements.
