A referendum to renew a 50-cent property tax rate for the Indian River County School District seemed destined for success until the coronavirus pandemic created widespread economic uncertainty.
County commissioners were to vote Tuesday to place the referendum on the Aug. 18 primary ballot at the request of the School Board.
Voter rejection of the tax rate extension would blow an $11 million hole in the school district’s annual budget starting in the 2021-2022 school year. The current 2019-2020 budget is $301 million.
But with unemployment rising in the county and ongoing economic disruption, cash-strapped voters might decide they can’t afford the tax rate extension.
“I hope voters understand, we’re not asking for new money,” said Dr. Mara Schiff, a School Board member. “I am concerned people are feeling pressured and pinched now in ways we just could not have anticipated.
“I am worried about the impact of the coronavirus on our national economy and our local economy and the impact that has specifically on our local schools,” Schiff said.
Voters originally approved the property tax rate in the Aug. 30, 2016 primary with 64.26 percent approving and 35.74 percent opposing, elections records show.
The current four-year tax rate generates $11 million per year and is due to expire June 30, 2021.
If voters approve, the extension will start July 1, 2021 and end June 30, 2025.
The tax money is needed to give teachers raises, pay for computer technology, enhance security and provide mental healthcare for students, school officials said.
“The need for these funds cannot be understated in such a time of uncertainty,” district superintendent Dr. David Moore said in a message to county residents.
The optional property tax rate money helped the Indian River County School District pay for 10,000 laptop computers provided to students so they could do their schoolwork while quarantining at home after schools closed in mid-March.
School Board Chairwoman Laura Zorc said she believes county voters will again come through for the public schools because they value education.
“I know most of the voters and taxpayers in our county pay close attention to what’s going on at the school district, so I feel very confident it will pass,” Zorc said.
