Four years ago, during the 2008 election cycle, voters in Alachua County voted “yes” on the One Mill Ad Valorem Tax, a property fee levied against homeowners in Alachua County that is used to directly provide funding to schools’ nurses, elementary art and music programs, K-12 school library programs, K-12 guidance programs, classroom technology, school magnet programs and high school band and chorus programs. This voting initiative, which expires in 2013, will be put to a vote again this election cycle, and I am writing to urge voters to vote “yes” on this imperative revenue source used to fund our school programs, which in turn make our community stronger.
Nobody likes taxes — myself included. However, due to the fragile nature of the economy and necessary budget cuts, the funding of these vital school programs has become more difficult to fund due to shrinking state coffers. According to Alachua County Public Schools, since 2008, per-student funding has decreased from $4,684 a student to $3,328 a student — a 29 percent decrease. This property fee, which is not a new tax but a renewal of an existing tax, would be used to fill the gap left by these budget cuts so that these programs, as well as the staff that runs them, continue to operate at current levels.
Another point worth noting is that the One Mill program is not a tax increase but is equal to $1 taxed for every $1,000 of the taxable value of property in Alachua County. If you use $150,000, the average value of a home in Alachua County, as a baseline, it is roughly $15 a month per household — a very manageable sum, considering that it will keep your children involved in worthwhile after-school programs that help strengthen the public. To prevent waste, this program is also overseen by an independent citizen’s committee that makes sure that your tax dollars are spent to directly support these platforms instead of to fund a government bureaucracy.
Some voters might feel urged to vote “no” on this key ballot initiative, thinking that they have a moral obligation to vote “no” because they do not own property in Alachua County and, therefore, should not make decisions about other citizens’ property values and taxes. To this, I say that school music and art programs create more creative, wholesome children and transform them into better leaders for tomorrow. They create a stronger, more thriving community within Alachua County. Many social studies have linked participation in music and art programs to better grades in children’s academics, as well as fewer disciplinary problems at school and at home. If voters choose to shoot the One Mill initiative down, layoffs of art and music teachers will directly result, and many schools will lose their fine arts programs all together. This would be a serious blow to the children of Alachua County.
This initiative was shot down by voters in Marion County in August, and I do not want the same thing to happen in Alachua County. The community cannot afford an environment in which the fine arts do not flourish.
I am a lifelong musician, and I can speak from experience: Music has changed who I am today for the better and made me a better man academically and creatively. Please do not deprive Alachua County children of the opportunity that we received as children when we were growing up. When you mail in your absentee ballot or go to your voting precinct Nov. 6, please vote “yes” to renew the existing One Mill Ad Valorem Tax for School District Operating Expenses. A copy of the actual ballot language of this initiative can be found below.
BALLOT TITLE:
RENEWAL OF THE EXISTING ONE MILL AD VALOREM TAX FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT OPERATING EXPENSES
BALLOT QUESTION:
Shall the Alachua County School District’s existing one mill ad valorem tax be renewed, beginning July 1, 2013, and ending four years later on June 30, 2017, for necessary operating expenses to fund school nurses, elementary music and art programs, K-12 school library programs, K-12 guidance programs, middle and high school band and chorus programs, academic/career technical magnet programs and to update classroom technology; with oversight by and independent citizens’ committee?
Yes____
No_____
John L. Dickhaus is a political science senior at UF. You can contact him at opinions@alligator.org.
