Voting in Flagler County? What you need to know about the half-cent sales tax for schools

When Flagler County residents vote by mail or go to the polls this election, they will not only vote for state and local representatives to serve them, but also for or against a referendum to continue a half-cent sales tax to support Flagler Schools.

The tax, which was first approved in 2002 and goes up for renewal every 10 years, funds technology, school safety and improvements to facilities, and the money stays in Flagler County, unlike some other funds that the state does not return to the school district.

“If we did not achieve the voters’ support on this half-cent, our school district will look very different over the course of the next couple of years,” Superintendent Cathy Mittelstadt told The News-Journal last week.

Voting need to knows: Early voting underway; 15% turnout in Flagler County thus far

Election in Flagler: Development, housing among topics discussed at Flagler candidate forum

Meet the candidates: Flagler School Board candidates discuss safety, parental involvement, teacher shortages

Mittelstadt and Chief of Technology and Innovation Ryan Deising, who has been with the district since the first iteration of the tax, explained how it will be used and addressed common voter concerns.

How will the tax affect voters?

“As a resident in Flagler County, anytime you buy goods and services — or if you're a visitor coming through our county and you're purchasing something — there's a 7-cent sales tax on that item,” Mittelstadt said. “Of that, a half-cent (of every dollar) of what you just purchased will be allocated to stay here in Flagler County and support our school district.”

In other words, a nickel for a $10 purchase, a dime on $20 or a quarter on $50 will go to the schools.

The tax is not new, however, and will not increase existing taxes from the current 7%, of which 6% is state tax.

Residents will vote on whether to “continue” the tax, which was first approved for 10 years in 2002 and then another 10 years in 2012, when it passed with 64% of the vote.

If approved, the tax would renew on Jan. 1, 2023, for another 10 years.

The half-cent tax is in effect in at least two dozen other Florida counties to support school districts, including Volusia, Duval, St. Johns, Clay and Orange.

Flagler Schools administration also pointed out that the county and municipality governments have all supported the referendum.

What has the half-cent tax historically funded?

An important item the tax has funded in recent years is technology for students, namely a one-to-one device to student ratio that helped the schools adapt to remote learning during the pandemic. It has also funded instructional technology software for classrooms, Deising said.

Furthermore, the tax revenue has allowed the district to update HVAC systems, better manage energy usage for power and water and upgrade safety and security measures.

“It actually allowed us to partner with Flagler County as well as the Flagler County Sheriff's Office on the 800 megahertz emergency radio system, so that allows direct communication of our staff at schools with first responders,” Deising said. “The other big piece is integration with our sheriff’s real-time crime center for access to cameras that are placed on campuses.”

This helps law enforcement respond quickly in the event of an issue on campus, Deising said.

What would the half-cent tax fund in the future?

The ballot language states that the tax will “finance all school technology upgrades, retrofitting, equipping and improvements (including but not limited to safety and security); school and facility construction, renovation and remodeling; procuring and maintaining school buses; land acquisition and improvement; and allowable uses for eligible charter schools receiving their proportionate share of revenues.”

Mittelstadt says that the language allowing for school bus and charter school funding is new this year, so the Imagine School Town Center would also receive funding.

If passed, the district specifically mentioned plans to utilize the money for technology, safety upgrades, building renovations, energy efficient upgrades and buses. It has a five-year project list for facilities that it would work through in determining upgrades and renovations.

The district also plans to build its Classroom to Careers program to prepare students for work or college after high school.

How much revenue will the tax generate?

The tax is expected to generate around $8 million a year for the next 10 years for a total of $80 million. At the last renewal in 2012, it had been estimated to generate $4 million annually, but was raising around $8 million in recent years thanks in part to the county's growing population.

“If we don't have the half-cent, then that would change our year out on how we're going to accomplish certain things,” Mittelstadt said, noting they may have to pull general funds for important projects or delay bus purchases, technology continuation and safety enhancements.

Mittelstadt says funding for public schools is always a challenge — Flagler Schools specifically receives 95 cents back for every dollar it sends to Tallahassee — so they “don’t want to skip a beat” in terms of continuing to fund quality buildings and programs.

Common concerns about the half-cent tax

One common question about the tax comes from residents without children in the Flagler Schools system: Why should I care?

Deising said one example of the school district supporting the whole community was the opening of storm shelters to the public a few weeks ago for Tropical Storm Ian.

“We were able to expedite folks getting in and out of those thanks to technology, which is from that half-cent,” he said. “We had technology all over the place. TVs were working, generators are going, lights were on, air conditioning is running.”

The school district also helps put students on the path to medical careers, including through a partnership with AdventHealth, which can translate to increased care for all residents later on.

Mittelstadt also says the quality of a community and support its residents receive is tied back to the quality of its schools.

The district plans to create a Citizens Oversight Committee to review expenditures and make reports to the public as another check and balance beyond the audits the school district already undergoes regularly.

Learn more

“The opportunities that we avail our students and our teachers and our staff is just tremendous because of this half-cent, so we're hoping that November continues to bring this to our district,” Mittelstadt said.

The Flagler County Education Association will host tours at Belle Terre Middle School and Bunnell Elementary School from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 3 to see the half-cent in action. Pre-registration is required. Visit Flagler County Education Foundation on Facebook or online for more information.

Learn more at flaglerschools.com/about-us/half-cent-renewal.

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Half-cent tax would fund education, school upgrades in Flagler County