Rep. Fine asks BPS's Mullins to debate millage increase, but law prohibits staff advocacy
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As the general election draws nearer, Florida Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, is stepping up his efforts to stop Brevard Public Schools from raising additional money through a millage increase that the district says it needs to address budget shortfalls and teacher salaries.
Fine is proposing that he and Brevard School District Superintendent Mark Mullins engage in a public debate to argue the merits, as well as the need, for raising property taxes of residents to fund pay increases for veteran teachers, school bus drivers and other staff members.
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“It literally occurred to me while I was going for a walk,” Fine said. “I thought to myself, ‘He is out there at taxpayers’ expense asking for more tax money,’ and no one is pushing back.”
As the chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on K-12 Funding, Fine said he understands the district’s budget enough to counter Mullins’ perspective on the need for a millage increase.
At least one political observer sees the debate request as unorthodox.
“It struck me as a bit unusual,” Aubrey Jewett, a professor at the University of Central Florida, said, referring to Fine’s letter. “I am not saying that it has never happened, but I am not aware of a state representative challenging an appointed school board superintendent to a debate.”
Administrators are not responsible for setting policy of a school district. That duty belongs to members of the school board.
However, Fine said he singled out Mullins because he is the person representing the district in this matter.
Mullins has been traveling the county, giving presentations to the public to explain the millage increase, but has walked a delicate line between giving details about the millage and advocating for it, which is against state law.
It is because of the confines of the law that BPS spokesman Russell Bruhn has said that Mullins cannot accept Fine's invitation.
"Our role is to inform about referendum, in this case on the millage," Bruhn said. "We can't advocate, ask people to vote yes, or do anything like that. Any materials that we put out on our website — they have to be informational only. That is what we adhere to."
School board members voted to approve the millage increase back in April, placing the measure on the ballot next month for voters to decide whether to raise their property taxes.
District officials are proposing to increase the millage by $1 — from $5.495 per $1,000 in taxable value to $6.495 in taxable value — for the next five years.
As an example, if someone owns a property with a taxable value of $153,100, the taxes could increase $153.10 annually.
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Money from the increased millage will be applied to several spending categories, such as classroom technology and career technical education programs. It also will be applied to salaries for instructors and other staff to address wage compression that has been happening in the past few years.
Increases in the state minimum wage, along with teacher pay, have boosted the pay of those who recently entered the profession. However, teachers with more years of experience were excluded from those benefits. That precipitated a trend in which veteran classroom instructors were making only slightly more than their newer counterparts.
This measure is meant to address that concern.
But Fine says not everybody realizes what the increases are for, adding that the debate is important so that the public can understand that their taxes are being increased for reasons that some might not support.
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“The voters deserve to hear both sides before they determine whether they want to send hundreds — and in many cases, thousands — more dollars to the Brevard Government School District each year,” Fine wrote.
“It is not necessary,” Fine said. “This school district got the largest budget in its history. This district got the largest budget per student in its history. If they want to pay teachers more, there are many ways to do it.”
In his letter, Fine suggested the format the debate would take, offering that he and Mullins each would be given 5 minutes to make an opening presentation, then 2.5-minute increments to respond to one another’s statements. The debate would end during the ninth round, in which both would be allowed for closing arguments.
For UCF's Jewett, the call for a debate is an example of the power play taking place between local school officials and elected state representatives who want to exercise more control of local school districts.
"This seems like part of a broader movement by state Republicans, starting with the governor, including some legislators, to have more impact on local schools, and local school elections.”
BPS spokesman Bruhn said, no matter the merits of any debate, Brevard Public Schools staff are prohibited from taking a position on the issue.
"One of the things that you get into when it comes to a debate, you have to take a position, generally," Bruhn added. "You have say that your position is right and your opponent's position is wrong. And so we can't get into that right now."
Fine is having none of it.
"I think it is laughable to say they haven’t taken a position to advocate for the tax increase, based on the presentations," Fine said. "Clearly they are afraid of voters knowing the truth."
He then presented the school district with another option.
"I believe there are four politicians who voted for it," Fine said, referring to the school board members who approved putting the proposal on the Nov. 8 ballot. "If they stand behind it, I could debate one of them."
Ralph Chapoco is government and politics watchdog reporter. You can reach Chapoco at rchapoco@floridatoday.com and follow him on Twitter @rchapoco.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: State Rep. Randy Fine opposes Brevard Public Schools millage increase
