The reasons: growing enrollments and 11 costly school projects that are on the books but lack funds.
By MELANIE AVE
Published September 10, 2003
TAMPA - School leaders said Tuesday night that they may have to bring a half-cent sales tax to voters in order to keep up with record-setting growth.
At the same meeting in which the School Board discussed raising the sales tax, it trimmed the property tax rate to comply with a limit set by the state. The sales tax bump could come before voters as early as next year.
"There are more needs than money," said superintendent Earl Lennard.
As they considered updating their five-year school construction and renovation plan, board members noticed something odd at the very bottom of the report. Of the $883-million in projects included, there was a sentence saying there isn't enough money to pay for everything.
Eleven projects costing $82-million are on the books, but the funds are not.
There is no money for a new high school in the northwest and a new elementary in southern Hillsborough to open in 2006. Nor is there cash for renovating heating and air conditioning at Alafia, Bing and Tampa Palms elementary schools, or Burns Middle, Armwood High and Gaither High schools.
"I think we need to start on this immediately," said board member Carolyn Bricklemyer. Tuesday was just the beginning of the discussion. Board members plan to hold a workshop on the issue in October or November.
Massive growth is at the heart of the problem.
Hillsborough, with an average 5,000 new students a year, is the nation's 10th-largest school district. To keep up with the boom, the district has been building new schools rapidly. Eight opened this year. Seven others will open next year.
Most of the new schools have been funded from the 30-year Community Investment Tax, or the CIT, a half-cent sales tax passed by Tampa voters in 1996. Deputy superintendent Jim Hamilton said the school district essentially has two ways of generating more dollars: through a half-cent sales tax or increased impact fees on developers, which he said are not as "fertile" sources of money.
Hamilton said the board could limit a tax increase to a three- to four-year period.
In 1995, voters rejected a half-cent sales tax for schools, paired with another for public safety. The next year, 53 percent of voters approved the CIT.
Board members said they recognize the long road ahead. "Time is absolutely of the essence," said board Chairwoman Carol Kurdell.
In other business, the board gave final approval to a $2.1-billion budget and a millage rate of $8.48 per $1,000 assessed value, a decrease of about 12 cents from last year. The rate cut means the owner of a home valued at $100,000 with a homestead exemption will pay about $9 less in taxes, or $636 instead of last year's $645.
They also agreed to continue imposing a levy for construction and renovation that will help buy property for five new schools. The rate included continuing a $2 levy per $1,000 value for capital costs, the maximum allowed by law. The tax will pay off debt and generate $96-million for new school buses, construction and renovation.
Members also got a first look at redrawn School Board member district maps, which have been altered to even the population based on the 2000 Census. This will be the first redistricting since the school converted to single-member districts in 1999. Changes are proposed to all five seats, but two districts lost population in the past decade.
District 5 in east Tampa, now represented by the board's only black member, Doris Ross Reddick, lost 10,164 residents. District 2 in South Tampa, represented by Candy Olson, lost 3,217. The board is considering two maps, which essentially leave racial percentages unchanged.
A public hearing and vote on the proposed maps is tentatively set for Oct. 14.
