School board to ask Orange County voters to approve half-cent sales tax

New tax would be implemented in 2015

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The school board is planning to ask Orange County voters to approve a new half-cent sales tax.

The plan is to use this revenue to continue to renovate older schools as well as build new ones. The taxes will also be used to convert schools to digital and enhance security.

The new tax would be implemented once the current one expires in 2015. The current tax was passed in 2002.

With that tax, 90 schools can be upgraded or replaced, but there is not enough money for all of them.

If the new half-cent sales tax is approved, officials have not decided how long it would last.

Some parents said they're on board with the tax extension.

"Our children whether they're mine or whether their our communities," said parent Kelly Dowling. "They are our future, and to not fund our schools is incredibly shortsighted."

School Board chairman Bill Sublette said without extending the sales tax, 39 schools from the original list will not be renovated.

"Then we have the perfect storm of the recession in 2009 and sales tax collections plummeted over the last four years and haven't met projections there," said Sublette.


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