Part 3 of the N&O’s series on growth looks at Orange County Schools in Orlando, Florida. As predicted, higher taxes are considered the primary way to pay for new schools. Orange County has a whopping $7,000 impact fee and a half-cent sales tax. It should be noted that, since there is no state income tax in Florida, voters are more willing to approve a half-cent sales tax increase.
The N&O story leaves out a lot of important information about state involvement in the school construction process. The Florida legislature passed the Smart Schools Act of 1997 to assist school districts’ school construction program.
The legislation had six parts:
1) Classrooms First Funding – $2 billion bonding program
2) SIT (School Infrastructure Thrift) Program – an incentive fund created to encourage functional, frugal school construction
3) Effort Index Grant Fund – provides select districts with funding for new construction only if these districts still had a need for new student stations after a certain level of local effort was met
4) SMART Schools Clearinghouse – recommended frugal construction standards and reviewed school districts? performance in meeting established design and construction standards in the five-year work plans
5) Small County Assistance
6) 5-year Capital Plans
Clearly, Florida has a comprehensive approach to meeting school construction needs, which rewards cost-effective school construction.
Nevertheless, the Smart Schools Act is not perfect. Localities may levy a two-mill tax without voter approval, as well as a local government infrastructure tax (Orange County does not have this tax) and a school capital outlay surtax (half-cent sales tax) with voter approval. And impact fees are high in most of the growing counties in Florida.
