DCPS: Charter schools could receive $300-$350 million from half-cent sales tax per state law

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax investigates if traditional public schools in Duval County will be shortchanged by charter schools as part of the half-cent sales tax referendum that is on Election Day ballots.

If passed by Duval County voters, it’s supposed to raise nearly $2 billion over the next 15 years for school improvements.

As Action News Jax first reported in April 2020, the city council voted 18-1 to put the referendum on the 2020 ballot.

Mayor Lenny Curry signed the legislation soon after it happened — after more than a year of pushback from the office of general counsel and city hall.

“There little bit of a rub with half-penny sales tax,” said Rachel Hunter Shapard, who is a public education funding advocate and mother of three Duval County students. Just a week before the city council vote, the state Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal of nine Florida school districts to overturn a controversial 2017 law, HB 7069, that reserves money for charter schools. The school district says that could be $300-$350 million.

“It may not have anything to do with actual physical needs of school or safety, it’s about how many students they have,” said Shapard.

That’s called per-pupil funding. Shapard says that means a larger charter in good shape could get more money than a smaller traditional public school.

“How fair is that?” asked Action News Jax Ben Becker. “Not fair at all,” said Shapard.

Becker emailed the school district to find out if this was true. At first, the district said that it wasn’t accurate. However, it followed up with Becker and conceded it was possible.

Here is the DCPS statement:

"Our plan has always been to fund schools based on demonstrated facility needs — needs documented by an external engineering study.

"Keep in mind, we are operating, repairing, and maintaining our campuses to the extent possible with existing — though significantly reduced — funding.

"In some cases with mostly older schools, we have had to make facilities investments with existing funds. Those schools may receive less funding from the proposed half-penny because some of their deferred maintenance need has already been met.

"With a successful referendum, every school at a minimum will receive security upgrades and funding to address any deferred maintenance.

"A good example is Fishweir Elementary. Last year when the wall separated from the roof, it was an emergency investment to correct that hazard. That school was born in 1917, but since some of its needs have already been met as part of that emergency renovation, it no longer needs as much revenue from the proposed half penny.

“Duval County Public Schools will comply with the new statute passed by the Florida Legislature this year to distribute funds to charter schools on a per-student allocation. Charter schools will decide how to spend their share. Proportionally, the district receives just as much as charters on a per-student basis. Our distribution to each school is based on the comprehensive study of prioritized needs for safety, repairs, renovation and construction of facilities.”

Becker emailed the mayor’s office to ask about the timing of Mayor Curry’s support for the half-cent tax with the state Supreme Court ruling on charter schools, but never heard back.

However, Becker was able to find an interview Action News Jax did with Mayor Curry in Sept. 2019.

“You want to pass a $2 billion tax?,” the mayor asked rhetorically. “Carve something out for public charter schools, get agreement on that,” said Curry.

Shapard says the referendum isn’t perfect, but something is better than nothing.

“It will benefit our students and I’m all for that.”, she said.

Duval County was part of the suit against the state to overturn the 2017 legislation, but dropped out in 2018 for a variety of reasons, including the cost of litigation.

Cox Media Group