Teachers rally for vote on tax

The union proposes a referendum in Pinellas to raise more money for public schools.

By KELLY RYAN GILMER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 16, 2002

LARGO -- In the wake of spending cuts and hiring freezes, the teachers union on Tuesday asked the Pinellas County School Board to put a referendum on the ballot and ask voters to raise property taxes to support schools.

School Board members didn't endorse the idea, but they said they are willing to consider any solution to their financial woes. They also stressed that it is the responsibility of the governor and the Legislature to provide adequate money for public education.

Some board members predicted voters would be willing to raise taxes for schools.

"I believe Pinellas County voters would support education," said board member Jane Gallucci.

Pinellas County schools have established a hiring freeze, cut programs and required substitutes to fill in for full-time teachers. Board members also are considering eliminating summer school.

And more cuts are on the way.

The School Board will hold a workshop Feb. 14 to discuss priorities for 2002-03 and how to pay for them. Among the priorities: continue paying for rising health care costs for employees and paying for a study that would help overhaul the district's salary structure.

If board members agree to put the tax issue on the ballot and voters approve it, the county could bring in more than $60-million a year for four years. Sarasota and Manatee counties are planning similar ballot initiatives this spring.

Besides discussing the teachers union's referendum proposal, board members are likely to take a close look at a reserve account for the new choice student assignment plan. Right now, there is $17.5-million in the account; the district's budget staff would like to add another $4.5-million this year.

But some board members, including Max Gessner and Linda Lerner, said that much money might not be necessary if most parents plan to send their children to schools close to home.

In other news, the board:

Delayed a vote on the site for an alternative high school. Board members had been scheduled to choose a location Jan. 29, but they said they need more information before they will be ready to make a decision.

The district had planned to build the $15-million Bayside High near the juvenile detention center in Largo, but groundwater contamination there has complicated those plans. District officials don't know how long it will take for the responsible company to clean up the site.

The school district turned to an alternate location near High Point Elementary School. Now, that neighborhood is organizing against Bayside.

School Board members said they need more information about the cleanup plans near the detention center before rejecting that location. Superintendent Howard Hinesley warned that obtaining complete information on the cleanup might take months.

Now that the vote has been delayed, it seems unlikely that Bayside would open before 2004. The original opening had been planned for fall 2003.

Approved a plan that will allow communication towers to be built on school district property after public hearings and reviews. The plan also will allow companies to seek permission to use one of seven towers already on district property.

Any revenue that comes from the towers would go to the district and be used for technology needs.

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