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Schools

Leaders haggle over class crowding

Raise impact fees, school officials tell county commissioners. Only if you push for a sales tax hike, they reply.

By MICHAEL VAN SICKLER
Published January 27, 2006

TAMPA - During a testy Thursday meeting between Hillsborough County commissioners and school district officials about how to ease classroom crowding, no one disputed there was a problem.

They did, however, dispute just about everything else, like who should pay to fix it.

"I had heard there was hostility between these two boards, and it was in evidence today," said Jill Hammoor, a parent of a kindergartener who attends the crowded Bryant Elementary.

With a quarter of the county's schools overpopulated and the district facing a shortfall of $364-million to build and repair all the necessary schools by 2010, commissioners and district officials haggled for 90 minutes.

By the end of a meeting filled with rolled eyeballs, interruptions and defiant retorts, commissioners agreed that within three weeks they would discuss their offer to the district, which could include higher impact fees in exchange for a promise from school officials to push for a sales tax hike. But commissioners offered few clues about what they will actually offer.

"I was surprised to see them make that recommendation near the end," said School Board attorney Tom Gonzalez. "I have no idea what it will be. I don't think anyone does."

Many had hoped for more progress at this point, especially after a task force of parents, developers and government officials - created by the county and school district - made recommendations in December about how to pay for new schools.

It recommended raising impact fees from the current average of $196 per new home to $1,000 by June 1, increasing it every six months until the fee reaches $4,000. Only commissioners can raise fees.

The task force also proposed raising the sales tax by a half-penny, which would require voter approval in November. Other suggestions included taxing all home transactions, shifting school boundaries and seeking more state money to comply with a class-size amendment passed by voters.

Thursday's meeting at Jefferson High School was set up so that School Board members and commissioners could consider these recommendations, and early on, the prospects for a civil discourse seemed promising.

Commissioners and board members munched on a catered lunch of croissant sandwiches, salads and fruit cups prepared by the school's culinary arts academy. Three boys played Vivaldi on violins.

Alas, the harmony ended when the meeting started.

Commission Chairman Jim Norman expressed dismay that a general obligation bond, paid for by a property tax hike, hadn't been considered.

"Why wasn't this talked about?" Norman said.

School Board Chairwoman Carolyn Bricklemyer said the district staff would study it.

Commissioner Ronda Storms asked for a yes or no answer to her main question: Will school officials support a sales tax if commissioners approve higher impact fees?

"It will take both," Storms said, and getting voter approval for a higher sales tax would be a problem if impact fees were raised first. "You kill your request for a sales tax if you do impact fees first."

But School Board members were reluctant to play along.

"We can't answer that with a yes or no answer," Bricklemyer responded. "We don't know until the impact fee is passed how much we'll need."

"An emphatic yes or no would be difficult at this time," said board member Doretha Edgecomb.

Commissioners seemed reluctant to support higher impact fees, even though the current rate is the lowest in the state.

A 2004 study by Duncan & Associates, paid for by the county and the school district, recommended an average fee of $3,880. The task force upped it to $4,000 because the cost of construction materials and land has increased since that study was made.

If adopted now, the new fee would put Hillsborough 13th highest in the state, below counties like Polk and Orange, but ahead of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade, according to Duncan & Associates.

Commissioner Tom Scott said the proposed fee would be too high but didn't say what would be more appropriate.

"I'm looking for something a little more moderate," Scott said.

Commissioner Brian Blair said he wants answers to how the district spends its money before he would support a higher impact fee.

Commissioner Ken Hagan said impact fees don't raise enough money, and Norman said they put homes out of reach for struggling families.

Commissioner Kathy Castor said impact fees needed to be raised without a sales tax.

Commissioner Mark Sharpe said impact fees were necessary now. "If we don't pay now, we'll pay later with more jails."

[Last modified January 27, 2006, 01:20:12]