Read Your Ballot Carefully

As many of us fill out our absentee, early voting or Election Day ballots I cannot stress enough the importance this year of carefully reading through your ballot.  After you have made your candidate choices next on your ballot will be the amendments and then the Citrus Schools Referendum.

While all the candidates, amendments and referendum are important the two I want to again make you aware of that will have a profound effect on our students and schools are Amendments 8 and the Citrus Schools Referendum on .25 Millage Rate.

The Citrus Schools Referendum is for many voters the last box and is NOT one of the amendments so if you are someone against all the amendment please slow down when you come to the Citrus Schools Referendum.

I encourage you to consider voting “NO” on Amendments 8 and “YES” on the Citrus Schools Referendum.

Amendments 8 – NO!

Amendment 8, “Religious Freedom”, perhaps wrongfully named, this proposed amendment would repeal the Florida Constitution’s prohibition on state funding of religious organizations, thus if it passed it could provide or even require in some cases that public funds be used for operating of religion institutions and schools whether they are Christian, Muslim, Atheist, Wiccan, etc.  This has many obvious concerns.

Amendment 8

There shall be no law respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting or penalizing the free exercise thereof. Religious freedom shall not justify practices inconsistent with public morals, peace, or safety. No individual or entity may be discriminated against or barred from receiving funding on the basis of religious identity or belief. No revenue of the state or any political subdivision or agency thereof shall ever be taken from the public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination or in aid of any sectarian institution.

Maintaining the Citrus Schools Referendum on .25 Millage Rate – YES!!

Prior to 2008 and for decades before the local required school district millage rates was by the Florida State Legislator at 2 mills and restricted to capital outlays only. (One mill is 1/10 of a cent and 1/$1,000 of a dollar) Since 2008 the Florida Legislature has played a political shell game, passed the responsibly for adequately funding school construction and maintenance to local school boards and thus then to the local ad valorem tax payer.  The State in 2008 reduced the local required school district millage rate to 1.5 mills with the option for local school boards to restore it to 1.75 mills with voter approval.  As you can see this is still .25 mills less than it was in 2008 even with voter approval.

District has seen a reduction of approximately $16 million since the 2007-2008 fiscal year, with annual facilities maintenance costs of $10 million and a $47 million renovation project for its very aged Crystal River Primary and Crystal River High School, the Citrus County School Board placed students first calling for voters to restore the millage rate to 1.75 in 2010.  I supported that decision during my campaign in 2010.

The voters in 2010 choose by over 65% to improve our schools and approved the referendum it is my hope that the voters again approve to continue this funding.

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