- April 24, 2024
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Plans will be finalized for spending the money
Now that the half-cent sales tax has been extended by the voters, changes are in store for Volusia County Schools, but they won’t happen right away. The plans for the money will be implemented over a 15-year period, beginning in 2017, when the current taxing period ends.
The sales tax can only be used for capital spending (facilities, technology, etc.), and not general operating costs such as salaries and instructional materials. It will raise an estimated $480 million.
A list of projects has been completed by a citizens’ capital needs committee that met for six months ending in January, and it was approved by the school board in February. It can be found on the Volusia County Schools website, volusiaschools.org.
The next two years will be spent prioritizing the items on the list and making specific plans, according to Nancy Wait, spokeswoman for Volusia County Schools. Just as in the taxing period that began in 2001, a citizens’ committee will be formed to oversee the work.
One of the bigger items on the list is the replacement of Tomoka Elementary School at its present location in Ormond Beach.
Wait could not give any indication when work would begin. She said decisions will have to be made on how to finance the construction. It could be built with bonds, which would be paid back with the sales tax.
School Board member Linda Costello, who serves District Four, said the school is one of the oldest in the district, and is not worth the investment to keep repairing it.
“It’s like when you have an old car that needs a transmission,” she said. “You start to think it’s not worth putting the money into it.”
She said she hopes that security for the students is the top priority over the 15-year period, and then technology.
“Technology is a must to make our children 21st century citizens,” she said.
An item called “cypher locks” is one of the security items listed for the schools. Wait explained that these are door locks that require a code to open.
Other items for security include fences, panic buttons and cameras.
The school system will also be looking at a verification system for the buses. This would be some type of ID card a student would swipe when getting on a bus, Wait said. In addition to security, this would provide an accurate count of riders, which must be submitted to the state for financial reimbursement. Currently, bus drivers must take a count.
“The drivers are busy watching the kids and the traffic,” she said.
Computer technology will be upgraded at the schools. Wait said computers are necessary for the new testing requirements, and having more computers means that computers will not have to be taken out of the classroom for testing purposes.
Two buildings, eight and nine, at Seabreeze High School are the list to be renovated.
Saralee Morrissey, planning director for the school district, said the buildings are in the plan because of their age and they have not been upgraded.
She said the scope of the remodeling has not been developed and any remodeling would depend on planned usage of the buildings. For example, they might be science labs or just used for general classrooms.
