Half-cent sales tax pays for charter schools rent

JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Two months ago, DCPS asked Duval residents to support a tax increase that would boost teacher pay, which voters approved. But over two years ago voters agreed to a separate sales tax increase which was sold as a way to help

DCPS renovate schools in the county that needed a facelift.

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Most of those who voted for the half cent sales tax might have not known they were agreeing to fund charter schools’ rent as well. In 2020 Duval voters said yes to the new tax to help out aging schools. But during last night’s school board meeting, it was noted some of the tax money raised will be paying for rent bills.

The half-cent sales tax went into effect in January of 2021. Action News Jax told you it was going to cover safety and security infrastructure improvements, deferred maintenance issues and closing and combining schools. As well as building two new schools and reducing portables. But a DCPS board member says it is paying for charter schools rent too.

“I did want to point out that while the dollars were collected to do to improve the infrastructure of the school and for safety, I did note that some charter schools are using those dollars to pay their rent and I think the public needs to be aware of that,” says Lori Hershey, DCPS school board member District 7.

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Some voters want to know why some people are just now hearing about this. DCPS says when the half cent sales tax was introduced in 2019 sharing this revenue with charter schools was not required under state law. Later, in the 2020 state legislative session a law was passed requiring school districts to share voluntary sales surtax revenue with charter schools.

Our tax dollars will fund school renovations and charter school rents for the next 15 years. The Chair of DCPS’ Citizen Oversight Committee explained how much money has been raised.

“We are pleased that $172 million have been generated. $149 million to the school district and $23 million to the charter schools,” says Hank Rogers, Chair of DCPS’ Citizen Oversight Committee.

DCPS says that $172.4 million has been collected from half cent sales tax since June of 2022. Charter schools share a good 13.4% of that which accumulates to $23.06 million.

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According to DCPS’ Charter School Sales-Surtax report, charter schools using the tax money to pay for rent include:

-Waverly Academy

-Biscayne High School

-Duval MYcroSchol

-Bridge Prep Academy

-Lone Star High School

-San Jose Prep

-San Jose Primary

-Seaside Charter School

-Seaside Community Charter School

The district states that the language on the ballot did include language about sharing funds with charter schools. But it did not specify it could be used for rent. The ballot says in order to improve schools and the quality of education the school district of Duval County, Florida Surtax Referendum will “share with charter schools for their allowable uses.”

Those allowable uses are listed below as they are spelled out in the Florida Statue 1013.62 (4), it states:

A charter school’s governing body may use charter school capital outlay funds for the following purposes:

(a) Purchase of real property.

(b) Construction of school facilities.

(c) Purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of permanent or relocatable school facilities.

(d) Purchase of vehicles to transport students to and from the charter school.

(e) Renovation, repair, and maintenance of school facilities that the charter school owns or is purchasing through a lease-purchase or long-term lease of 5 years or longer.

(f) Payment of the cost of premiums for property and casualty insurance necessary to insure the school facilities.

(g) Purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of driver’s education vehicles; motor vehicles used for the maintenance or operation of plants and equipment; security vehicles; or vehicles used in storing or distributing materials and equipment.

(h) Purchase, lease-purchase, or lease of computer and device hardware and operating system software necessary for gaining access to or enhancing the use of electronic and digital instructional content and resources; and enterprise resource software applications that are classified as capital assets in accordance with definitions of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, have a useful life of at least 5 years, and are used to support schoolwide administration or state-mandated reporting requirements. Enterprise resource software may be acquired by annual license fees, maintenance fees, or lease agreement.

(i) Payment of the cost of the opening day collection for the library media center of a new school.

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