I think the moment we give that up is the moment we forever lose hope on that," Dodd said. "It would not be wise to hold our breath waiting for that two mills, but we throw that in every year to remind them. Marc Dodd, school board chairman, knows it's unlikely but they still need to ask. "Any issue that can be seen as raising taxes hasn’t been a conversation that's moved forward." "Money will be (tighter) than it was last session," he said. Stuart said that request would probably not go far. I read fast, but I don’t read that fast," Stuart said.Īnother request would allow school districts to assess property owners up to 2 mills - or $2 for every $1,000 of assessed value - to pay for capital improvements. In 2008, the legislature reduced the top millage rate to 1.5 mills in response to the economic downturn. Lake currently assesses the maximum allowed for capital improvements, including new construction and renovations. But I know it was a 250-page bill that was received about an hour before they voted on it. "I won't pretend to guess what the legislature did or didn’t mean to do. Robert Stuart, the board's lobbyist in Tallahassee, felt it was possible. "I'm convinced the legislators truly in their hearts didn't know what they were quite doing," said Bill Mathias, District 1 school board member. At least 12 districts in Florida intend to sue the state over the law. The law, known as House Bill 7069, also does not require charter schools to consult with districts when opening "Schools of Hope" near underperforming district schools. The board also asks the legislature to reevaluate a law passed last year that in part requires the district to share its construction and maintenance money with charter schools. The DCD benefits the state's largest counties including Orange, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach. Lake ranks 19th in size among the 67 counties in the state with about 42,000 students, but it ranks 62nd in school funding. The DCD started as a cost-of-living adjustment, but opponents say it takes money from already cash-strapped districts and gives it to high-population counties.
The county argues the DCD has cost them $57 million since it passed in 2004. One of the top concerns is the elimination of the District Cost Differential portion of the state's school-funding formula. The board voted 5-0 this week to send lawmakers a list of changes they want made during the legislative session that starts on Jan. TAVARES - The Lake County School Board wants the State Legislature to fix problems causing hardship here and across Florida.
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