Schools and Education School Board Worries About Half-Cent Sales Tax Expiration

BRADENTON — Near the end of Tuesday's school board meeting, board member Karen Carpenter noted that the county's education half cent sales tax is set to expire at the end of 2017. Carpenter said that losing the half cent tax would have a "critical effect" on the district, with more than $25 million annually in capital funds being lost after the tax expires.

Board chair Bob Gause concurred, saying the board needs "to make sure the community understands all of the costs of this district that aren't met by the state," which he said the district isn't getting sufficient funding from.

Deputy Superintendent of Operations Don Hall, who said that administration has started having such discussions, agreed that educating the community about such funding details should be a priority.

If the sales tax ends up not being renewed by voters, possibilities for making up for the lost money could include raising the millage tax or raising impact fees (with the county's consent).

Board members have openly worried that recent financial debacles have impaired public trust, and the district has made restoring such trust a top priority in recent years. 

Superintendent Rick Mills agreed that the board should have a workshop on the issue, and that the workshop should be solely focused on the issue. The date of the workshop will be set to April 14.