‘Yes’ on school sales tax extension

Transparency, check. Accountability, check. The Manatee County School District built those safeguards into the referendum language requesting the continuation of the current half-cent sales tax, set to expire in 2017.

The referendum’s language sets the parameters for the estimated $30 million in annual revenue from the extension.

Title: “Extending The Existing School One Half Cent Sales Surtax For Capital Outlay Of Educational Facilities.”

Text: “Shall the Manatee County School Board extend the existing countywide one half cent sales surtax for fifteen additional years, from January 1, 2018, to ending on December 31, 2032, along with the creation of a citizens’ oversight committee, thereby maintaining revenues statutorily available to be used for capital expenditures to reduce overcrowding, reduce portable classrooms, renovate existing schools, build new schools where needed, purchase technology, and improve student safety and achievement.”

Here are some of the points in support of the continuation of the current half-cent sales tax:

▪ The school board’s volunteer audit committee has been designated as the oversight committee to ensure sales tax revenue is expended properly — in accordance with the resolution language on the ballot. The panel includes certified public accountants.

The lack of accountability and transparency in the current 15-year surtax led to public outrage over expenditures. Critics of the November vote point to the past — years in the past — as reason enough to vote against the tax. That only defeats the future. The past is irrelevant today.

▪ The district has come a long way from past financial misdeeds. The district is now financially sound by Florida standards, meeting the state-mandated savings account percentage for two years in a row. In September, that significantly improved status earned an upgrade from Fitch Ratings, an international leader in credit ratings and research, raising the score from a BBB+ to an A-. That’s the second rating increase in the last two years.

▪ This referendum should be about children, education and the future. And about an educated workforce, employment, economic development — and a better community. For example, corporate site selection consultants scrutinize a community’s quality of education and strength of workforce before making recommendations to business clients looking for new locations. The Manatee Chamber of Commerce and Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance support the surtax, knowing full well the value of a good education.

▪ Manatee County’s population is surging. From the April 2010 census to the July 2015 estimate by the federal government, an additional 40,000 residents landed in the county. The total surpasses 363,000 people today. The children in those families deserve a strong education, too.

▪ One high priority for the district is a new high school in the high-growth Parrish region. School building maintenance — including roofs, heating and air conditioning systems, even security cameras — has suffered from delays because of the lack of money. Some of those systems need to be replaced.

▪ Impact fees on new residential and commercial construction cannot be spent on maintenance projects, as defined by state law. Impact fees alone will not cover all the costs of a Parrish high school, and construction would be delayed for years as the district saves up enough money to pay the estimated $70 million to $80 million for the building. The new school would help ease the pressure on Palmetto, Lakewood Ranch and Braden River high schools, all currently overcrowded with students.

▪ This should not be a complicated vote. The school’s half-cent changes nothing. That has existed since 2002 but is set to expire in 2017. It’s a renewal vote.

A retaliation vote against school board members and administrators — with the worst actors no longer employed by the district — accomplishes nothing and only degrades the school system.

▪ For a resident who spends $500 a month on taxable goods and services (not food, medicine and many other consumer goods), that person would contribute only $2.50 toward education, which is already charged.

Visitors and tourists who shop in our stores and eat in our restaurants will cover about a third of the $30 million in annual revenue.

What kind of school system do you want for this community? This is a case of progress vs. retreat.

The Herald Editorial Board recommends a “Yes” vote on the school board sales tax extension.

This story was originally published October 12, 2016 at 4:12 PM with the headline "‘Yes’ on school sales tax extension."