How much are Leon County Schools’ worth? That’s the question the school district want taxpayers to ask themselves as it makes its case for a renewal of the half-penny sales tax. The tax goes to support building, maintenance and technology projects for Leon’s public schools, and its set to expire this year.
The school district will need a billion-dollars worth of maintenance, construction and renovation projects over the next 15 years, according to an independent panel set up by schools officials to judge the need for an extension of the half-cent sales tax.
“Even with this tax, we’ll still be 400-million short of the billion dollars. So anyone who thinks there’s a lot of fat in this budget, even with this additional tax, we’re dealing with a $400 million deficit in capital improvement funds," said Tallahassee attorney Steve Uhlfelder, who is heading the pro-tax campaign.
The district says the tax is needed because the state funding for school maintenance has dried up. But not everyone is onboard with the plan. When the proposal to renew the tax went before the County Commission, one member, Bill Proctor, opposed it.
