St. Lucie County voters will decide April 23 whether to approve a school tax increase that would generate $22 million per year for teacher raises, school security and mental health services.
The county’s 204,306 voters will be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on the proposal to increase the school property tax rate by $1 per $1,000 of assessed value for the next four years.
If approved, the overall school property tax rate would increase to $7.335 per $1,000 of assessed value from $6.335.
That would result in a $200 hike in the annual school property tax bill of the owner of a home with an assessed value of $200,000. The property tax bill would increase to $1,467 from $1,267.
Voters can expect to receive their vote-by-mail ballots after they are mailed out on April 3. The ballots must be returned to the Supervisor of Elections Office by 7 p.m., April 23.
If voters approve the tax increase, school administrators will have an extra $22 million per year to spend on operations starting July 1 and ending June 30, 2023.
School administrators intend to spend $15.4 million to give raises to teachers, $5.5 million to beef up school security, $880,000 to enhance mental health services for students, and $220,000 to preserve essential programs.
The County Commission voted unanimously on Feb. 5 to call the referendum at the request of the School Board.
The School Board voted unanimously on Jan. 8 to direct the commission to call the referendum because additional property tax money is needed to cope with rising expenses and declining revenues.
Voters in Martin, Palm Beach and Broward counties approved school property tax increases in 2018 to give raises to teachers and pay for other necessities.
St. Lucie County needs the new tax money to increase teacher pay so the district can remain competitive in the job market, said Superintendent of Schools Wayne Gent.
“Teachers with zero to five-year experience can make up to $1,000 to $1,800 more in Martin County,” Gent said. The Martin County School District also gives teachers supplemental pay for longevity.
“This is something that has caught the eyes of our instructors already,” Gent told the commissioners. “We cannot lose our best and brightest teachers, nor can we afford not to be able to recruit folks into our district.”
The money for school security will be used to assign a sheriff’s deputy or Port St. Lucie police officer to serve as a School Resource Officer at each of the county’s 36 public schools, Gent said.
“We want deputies in our schools; we do not want armed guards,” Gent told the commissioners.
The money for mental health services will go toward additional guidance counselors and school psychologists, Gent said. “Our youngest children come to us with some of the most unbelievable challenges now that we’ve ever faced,” Gent said. The remaining money will be used to preserve arts, music and accelerated programs, Gent said.
St. Lucie County voters approved a half-percent sales tax increase in November to pay for road, sidewalk and water quality projects. The tax hike was supported by nearly 56 percent of the voters.
Gent said he hopes voters will also see the need to increase spending on school operations.
“We know we have our work cut out for us for the next several weeks to go out there and educate our public and make our case,” Gent said.
