November 3, 2010

Critical Needs Referendum for Flagler Schools Approved by Voters

Flagler voters approved a tax referendum Tuesday that will help the district maintain programs while it faces five million in reduced federal and state funding next year. This was a big enough hurdle, but statewide, Florida voters added to the funding crisis by failing to approve Amendment 8, which would have relaxed the stringent class size limits as approved back in 2002. The impact of this to the Flagler County school district is an additional one million dollars per year to meet class size going forward.

The district's School Board, like many in the state, used a special authority to levy a quarter-mill tax themselves for the past two years. But continuing the tax hike required approval by voters.

In advance of the election, school board members embarked on a town hall style speaking tour to spread the word about the impact of the referendum. The district also received help from community leaders. A political action committee was formed, called Funding Flagler’s Educational Future; PAC to make sure residents knew the importance of voting “YES” for the referendum.

With the election behind them, the superintendent and school board will start addressing the budget issues in detail. But additional funding concerns still linger, such as the effect of the BP oil spill on statewide sales tax revenue and possible school funding reductions as a result.

October 20, 2010

School Board Members are Hitting The Road With Town Hall Meetings; But Voters Are Staying Home

The Flagler County School Board members have been hitting the road lately to get the word out about the 0.25 Mill referendum on the ballot. Unfortunatley, the board members are not talking in front of large crowds. The typical turnout has been less than a dozen at each of the four meetings held so far. There is one last town hall, and that will be held on Wednesday, October 27th, at 7:00 PM at the Hammock Community Center on Malacompra Road.

Here is a summary of recent news articles discussing the town hall meetings and the referendum:

10/19/10 - In Palm Coast, Another Dud Turnout At School Tax Town Hall

10/14/10 - Superintendent Janet Valentine: Why You Should Vote For the .25 Mill School Tax Levy

Funding Flagler's Educational Future; PAC - The Referendum Tax Pac’s Facebook Page

www.FlaglerEducationPAC.org - The Referendum Tax Pac's Website

October 4, 2010

"Funding Flagler's Educational Future" Created to Promote School Referendum

A registered political action committee has been formed by local community leaders to promote the passage of the 0.25 Mill referendum for Flagler County Schools "Critical Needs" that is on the November 2nd general election ballot. Toby Tobin (GoToby.com) is spearheading this effort, with help from R.J. Dailey (Prosperity Bank) as campaign treasurer and Bob Cuff (local attorney).

The group has established a social media presence with  Facebook  and Twitter esposure and created a webpage, www.flaglereducationpac.org, to get infomation and facts to the public about the need to continue a modest, existing tax supporting various school operations.

The group is asking for community member to volunteer and participate in this cause and help get the word out. If you can assist the group by attending community functions or post flyers in your business, please contact Toby, RJ or Bob. Just click on their name above to send them an email.

Donations to help offset the cost of flyers and banners are welcome! Just make a check payable to Funding Flagler's Educational Future, PAC, and mail to 10 Florida Park Drive, Suite D-4, Palm Coast, Fl 32137. Make a donation and get a campaign button to wear and show your support!

September 28, 2010

Flagler Voters Get Choice on Funding Education

In July, the Flagler County School Board voted to place a 0.25 mil levy on the November 2nd ballot. This is a continuation of a tax levy that has been in place since 2008 as part of our local efforts that fund Flagler County Schools. If the voters approve the referendum, the 0.25 mil will only be in effect for two years. This tax equates to $25.00 a year on a $150,000 homesteaded home, the average home price in Flagler County.

In response to reduced state revenue and increasing student enrollment, the school district has continued to make budget cuts over the past three years. Cuts have included the elimination of district cell phones, in-county travel, personnel reductions through hiring freezes and the elimination of block-scheduling, middle grades sports, after school transportation and tutoring, clubs & field trips.

The district is also invoking strict compliance to the 2 mile busing limit for student transportation at the middle and high school, and the one mile limit for elementary students. The district also took steps to consolidate the construction and maintenance departments this year as a result of the downturn in population growth.

Superintendent Valentine has established a working group that is meeting regularly to research, prioritize and recommend additional budget reductions to the School Board for consideration. For next year’s 2011-2012 budget, it is anticipated that we will need to reduce our existing expenditures by at least seven (7) million dollars. If approved, the 0.25 mil levy will help offset this reduction and help us keep existing programs in place.

For more information, please email Andy Dance at Andy@AndyDance.com.

Board Members to Hold Town Hall Meetings to Discuss School Referendum

The Flagler County School Board will host five (5) Town Hall meetings in the month of October (2010) to present information and answer questions on the .25 Millage Tax Levy continuation.

Date/Location/Time
Thurs., Oct. 7 at Flagler Beach City Hall; 7:00 p.m. (hosted by C. Conklin)
Mon., Oct. 11 at Buddy Taylor M.S. Cafeteria; 7:00 p.m. (hosted by Andy Dance) 
Thurs., Oct. 14 at Bunnell City Hall; 7:00 p.m. (hosted by T. Tucker)
Mon., Oct. 18 at Palm Coast Community Ctr; 7:00 p.m. (hosted by S. Dickinson)
Wed., Oct. 27 at Hammock Community Ctr; 7:00 p.m.  (hosted by E. Shellenberger)

More Discussion on the School 0.25 Mil Referendum

Sept. 22, 2010 from Flaglerlive.com:

The Other Tax Referendum: School District Battles Misperceptions to Preserve Levy