Hillsborough County school funding at risk as tax revenue is redirected

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A half-cent community investment sales tax in Hillsborough County expires in 2026, and commissioners are expected to decide how they want to renew it on Wednesday, April 17.

For nearly 30 years, 25% of the tax revenue has gone to the public school system.

“We are growing. We have schools that we have to build,” Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent Van Ayres said. “This community investment tax are dollars that we would utilize to keep up with the growth in Hillsborough County.”

With the renewal of the tax, commissioners are strongly considering cutting the school’s portion to 5%.

That’s where the last meeting to discuss this topic ended.

“10% still would’ve been a gain for them, and it would’ve adequately supplied the funds we needed for our schools and they failed to do that,” Hillsborough County Parent Damaris Allen said. “It hurts our citizens, and it hurts our families.”

Currently, Hillsborough County Commissioners receive the bulk of the revenue from this tax, the school district gets 25%, Tampa Sports Authority receives $9 million annually, and the rest is distributed to Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace.

Ayres said the schools need at least 10% of the community investment tax to meet their need to build more schools.

Some county leaders disagree.

“If I knew the solution to the schools’ woes was to just continue to throw money at them, I would do it,” Hillsborough County Commissioner Michael Owen said. “But the track record doesn’t show that for me.”

Owen and the other commissioners are expected to vote on how the money will be divided and the language that would be used in putting this topic on Hillsborough County voters’ November ballot, in their meeting on Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the County Center in Downtown Tampa.

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