- November 23, 2024
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Last year at this time, the School Board proposed a critical needs tax. The purpose of this tax was to raise revenue for items not in the budget, such as roof repairs at Flagler Palm Coast High School, computers for students to use that would be provided by the school and a few other items. That tax was passed. A member of the School Board stumped throughout the district for the passage of the critical needs tax, speaking at public meetings and governmental meetings.
This year, at the expiration of the critical needs tax, the School Board once again comes to the public for a special tax to be used for restoring 45 minutes to the school day, armed guards in all the schools and more computers for students that would be furnished by the school.
The 45 minutes, taken out of the school year two years ago, has generated a savings of approximately $2.5 million per year. The School Board maintains that the quality of education has suffered because of this shortening of the school day and yet, both of the Flagler County high schools have been recognized nationally as being providers of exceptional quality education.
Adding back in the 45 minutes would require hiring a number of additional teachers, which would certainly be pleasing to the union, but how these 45 minutes would improve the quality of education has yet to be quantified.
Adding armed guards to each school in the school district would seem to be a knee-jerk reaction to the tragedy in Connecticut. No one has shown that adding these deputies would improve school safety, and to what degree.
The purchase of computers for use by students and provided by the schools continues to be a popular trend with our school district. Once again, the cost for this, not only for this year, but in future budgets, needs to be forthcoming, not to mention the presentation of any statistical data that show that these computers will improve the quality of education of the students who are fortunate enough to receive them.
Tom Lawrence
Chairman, Flagler County Tea Party Movement
