,
7 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
It hasn't gotten much attention (yet), but one of the more significant elements of the Florida House's proposed tax package would steer more local property taxes to charter schools.
The issue involves the incremental property-tax increases that school districts can enact to help pay for operations, as long as voters approve in a countywide referendum. The House wants to compel districts to share that money with charters.
This has become a huge flashpoint across the state. In Miami-Dade, for instance, charter schools are lobbying for -- and school administrators are resisting sharing -- some of a new $230 million-a-year tax increase that's supposed to pay for higher teacher salaries.
In Palm Beach County, at least three charters schools have sued to get some of roughly $200 million a year that county expects to raise through an new property tax increase -- after voters approved a ballot measure that the district wrote specifically excluding charters.
And in Indian River County, a group of charter schools recently won a lawsuit at trial forcing the county to share some of the roughly $10 million a year it is raising through a voter-approved property tax increase.
The language in the House's tax package orders school districts to share this money with charters. If they refuse, it would reduce the amount of money school districts can withhold from charters to cover administrative expenses.
This is an important issue to House Speaker Jose Oliva, a school-choice supporter who has criticized Miami-Dade school leaders for not sharing with charters: wlrn.org/post/florida-h…
