“This week I had planned on writing a blog post about the history of the .25 millage rate and begin sharing with you the direction the school board may go in requesting from voters continuing the .25 critical need millage rate. As I was preparing to write the article the Citrus County Chronicle Editorial published an excellent editorial on the issue. I ask if you would take time to please read it.” ~Thomas

Chronicle Editorial Board: Valuing students

“Vote critical to sustaining quality schools”

April 4, 2012
THE ISSUE: School tax vote.
OPINION: Maintaining 1.75 millage rate merits voter approval.

Prior to 2008, local school district millage rates were set by the state at 2 mills and restricted to capital outlays. Since 2008, the Florida Legislature, in a cost-shifting political shell game, passed the responsibly for adequately funding school construction and maintenance to local school boards by reducing the millage rate to 1.5 mills with the option for local school boards to restore it to 1.75 mills with voter approval.

Faced with the state’s slashing of $10 million for capital projects, annual facilities maintenance costs of $10 million and a $47 million renovation project for its aging primary and high schools in Crystal River, the Citrus County School Board placed students first by assuming the political risk of calling for voters to restore the millage rate to 1.75 in 2010.

Answering the board’s call, Citrus County voters affirmed their strong support for the education of our students by overwhelmingly approving the requested quarter-mill restoration by more than 60 percent of the vote.

This demonstrative show of community support for valuing the education of its students was cited by the Fitch Group as a key factor in the school board recently earning an A-plus financial rating during a period of prolonged economic decline.

Unfortunately, the state will eliminate the current quarter-mill levy for capital programs by year’s end.

Accordingly, school board members once again are placing students first by asking voters during this November’s general election to replace the expiring quarter-mill capital outlay levy with a quarter-mill levy for school operations, given that the state has cut the district’s operational funds by $18 million the past four years.

Since the requested quarter-mill levy, which equates to $25 annually for the average homeowner, would replace the current quarter-mill levy for capital outlays, the wording on the voter’s referendum cannot say that it is simply a renewal of the levy approved by voters in 2010.

Consequently, school board members and district officials are concerned that voters may mistakenly view the requested quarter-mill levy for operations as a tax increase.

Unlike the Legislature, which passed the buck in fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to make education a paramount duty, Citrus County voters accepted that duty with the overwhelming number of ballots cast for the education of our children in 2010.

Voters are urged to continue valuing students by approving the requested quarter-mill levy to maintain the current 1.75 millage rate, which is critical to sustaining the quality of education that our students receive.

www.chronicleonline.com/content/valuing-students

 

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