A vote for the school half-cent sales tax is a vote for the future

Commissioners and School Board members meet together during the Joint Workshop with the Marion County Commission and the Marion County Public School Board at the Webber Center at the College of Central Florida in Ocala, Fla. on Friday, August 11, 2023. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2023.

No one likes to pay higher taxes, but sometimes the sacrifice of the public is for the betterment of our most vulnerable community members: our children. On Nov. 5, the Marion County School District asks voters to agree to a half-cent increase to the sales tax to fund new schools and other construction needs.

For many years, growth in Marion County has exploded virtually unchecked. New neighborhoods have been built, and community leaders and businesses have encouraged people to move here and call this place their home. Now, because little has been done to prepare for this invited population increase, our public schools are bursting at the seams. Many of them are over capacity in quickly deteriorating facilities.

The district lacks the funds to fix them under stringent state laws that tie local leaders’ hands with classroom size limits and what pots of money can be used to fund operating expenses and capital improvements. Add to that the elimination of school concurrency requirements that placed rail guards on development approved by the ensured city and county governments- here we are.

To remedy this, the past couple of years the Marion County School Board has used every option available to it has to generate revenue, other than placing the full burden on the taxpayers. They listed property for sale. They fought to bring back impact fees and make developers pay for their share. In July, impact fee collections that were halted in 2011 because of a sagging economy began again. For every new home built in Marion County, the developer pays a fee of up to $5,525 toward school construction and other capital projects.

This comes despite every roadblock Ocala and Marion County elected officials put in their path and over the opposition from the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership, whose leaders thought the impact fees should be no more than a quarter of what a consultant recommended.

But those funds are too little, too late. With over $1 billion needed to build schools and construct additions to existing schools over the next 20 years, the school district must now ask for the community’s help to give children the education they deserve.

Marion County currently has a sales tax of 7%. If voters approve a half-cent sales tax for schools, the tax will be added to the existing tax. Keep in mind, if the sales tax increase is approved, the burden will not be on Marion County residents alone; about 30% of the revenue would come from tourists and travelers.

Also on the ballot this year is the Marion County Board of Commissioners’ request for an additional penny sales tax to raise funds for needed infrastructure and public safety improvements. First approved by voters in 2016, the tax needs to be continued, and the county is looked to extend it for a term of 20 years.

County commissioners have chosen to go to the taxpayers first rather than the developers for an increase in impact fees for roads or public safety. They also have refused to share the one-cent sales tax revenue with the school district over the last eight years they’ve had it, creating the need for the school district to ask the public to approve a ½ cent to help meet their dire needs.

Even if you don’t have kids in schools and don’t see how this tax increase might impact your life, consider that school facilities are also our county’s primary storm shelters. Two hurricanes in recent weeks are stark reminders that our county doesn’t have enough shelter space to meet the need of certain mandatory evacuation orders, a need that will only rise as our population increases.

The following question will appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot for voters to decide:

“To retain high-quality teachers, reduce classroom overcrowding, and improve safety and security by expanding, constructing, and improving school facilities, with collected revenues shared according to Florida law with eligible public charter schools based on their proportion of total school district enrollment, with oversight by an independent volunteer committee, shall the school district of Marion County levy a one-half cent sales surtax for ten years to fund such activities for Marion County schools?”

If residents vote for the half-cent sales tax, the revenue may be used only for capital expenditures and cannot be used for other expenses. So why does the ballot measure reference teacher retention and school safety?

Because better facilities equal better working conditions for teachers and better learning conditions for students. If the school district can build schools and reduce overcrowding, then the student-to-teacher ratio is lowered, allowing children the chance to have a more one-on-one, personalized learning experience and reduces stress on teachers.

Voting “yes” is a sign of respect for those who work for the largest employer in our county. It signals that the public wants them to work in a safe, clean environment and they have our gratitude for entering this noble profession, which our society relies on to help produce good citizens.

“Experts agree that newer and more functional school buildings lead to higher student and teacher morale, lower student and teacher absenteeism, higher levels of effort and increased job satisfaction,” according to Marion County Public Schools material supporting the tax increase.

School district staff has recommended five new schools and nine new wings to existing schools be constructed over the next 15 years to keep pace with the county’s population growth. The cost for this new construction, in addition to necessary maintenance and renovations to other schools, is estimated to be about $1.8 billion, $1 billion of which currently is unfunded.

The school half-cent sales tax has been a revenue generator for the district in the past, from January 2005 through December 2009. Levying the tax generated over $111 million in revenue and helped to fund the construction of four schools: Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks, Legacy Elementary School, Liberty Middle School and Marion Oaks Elementary School, according to MCPS.

Most schools in the county, however, are aging and cannot keep up with the growth the area is seeing. Nearly half of MCPS schools are over 50 years old and 78% of MCPS schools are over 30 years old.

One prime example is Sparr Elementary, where “Gazette” reporter Caroline Brauchler and photographer Bruce Ackerman earlier this year walked through the campus by invitation of the district and witnessed the conditions in which young students attend school every day.

Sparr Elementary was built in 1964 and as the community evolved and grew, the school grew with it. But after multiple additions, there’s nowhere left to fit more students. Since its opening, Sparr’s enrollment has increased by 40% and now totals 440 students. Most of the classrooms, rooms and even closets are used for multiple purposes to efficiently use all available space.

Running through the floors, walls and ceilings is galvanized cast iron plumbing that is original to the school and is now in dire need of repair. The air-conditioning system was installed in 1992, so the 32-year-old system is well past its expiration date. It often stops working, leaving students cooled by just fans.

Several classrooms at Sparr don’t have direct access to restrooms. In one area of the school, three restrooms are shared by five classrooms, one of which only can be accessed by going through a classroom, which often causes interruptions for that class during the school day.

If you think the district’s $1 billion dollars in need is a lot, then imagine how much more it will need without the help of this sales tax. If the half-cent sales tax is not approved, building and maintenance program needs will exceed projected revenues by more than $2 billion through 2038, according to MCPS.

Building modern schools and expanding the district’s existing schools are necessities, not luxuries. The school district has taken every step to generate funding before asking the taxpayers for help, but with the growing needs of a growing county, these local officials are now humbly asking for your help.

The sacrifice of an additional half-cent sales tax could provide our next generation with the education they deserve and send a clear message about what our community holds dear.