Voters will choose Tuesday, Nov. 5 whether to support a half-cent sales surtax to raise $2 billion for Palm Beach County schools over a decade.
If approved, that levy would begin in 2026, replacing a one-cent sales surtax expiring in 2025. The current tax supports not only schools but also county and municipal projects, including almost $39 million in Wellington, for example.
The new sales surtax would be focused on public schools around the county. Charter schools would also receive a share.
“With more than 30 million square feet of facilities, the district needs to maintain and replace aging roofs, renovate restrooms, and upgrade lighting and HVAC systems throughout local schools,” according to a Palm Beach County School District web site explaining the measure. “Additionally, funds from this half-penny measure would enhance school security, purchase buses, and update technology for students and teachers. Schools will also receive School Enhancement Funds for projects decided by their School Advisory Council.”
The surtax money must be spent on capital projects, not operational needs, according to the district. It cannot be spent on teacher salaries, for example.
An Independent Sales Surtax Oversight Committee will oversee the use of funds.
The Economic Council of Palm Beach County came out in support of the half-cent surtax earlier this year, according to its web site. Established in 1975, the council is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that supports what it calls an “open and collaborative relationship between the public and private sectors in Palm Beach County.”
County officials chose not to ask voters to pay for county and municipal projects on this ballot measure, which is why it is limited to schools. A school district flyer says the half-cent sales surtax will help Palm Beach County remain an A-rated school system, generating about $200 million annually. The ballot measure represents a “continuation of an existing sales tax rate for schools in Palm Beach County and will not raise taxes,” according to the district.
Not everyone embraces this framing of the issue. Some skeptics say schools already receive a large budget, and this represents a revenue stream that, if approved, bypasses the budget process and becomes automatic through 2035.
“My plan is to vote no on this issue,” said Fred Scheibl, co-founder of the Palm Beach County Taxpayer Action Board, a group that analyzes public spending.
He noted the current surtax passed a decade ago, attracting 57 percent of the vote on an appeal to make needed investments.
“The argument at the time was that our infrastructure was crumbling, and the money was needed to ‘catch up’ on maintenance that had been deferred,” Scheibl said. “It was estimated to generate $270 million annually ($135 million for the schools). In reality, it generated quite a bit more than that, averaging about $175 million to the schools in the years 2018 to 2023.”
This year could produce even more than average, he said. “Have we not already ‘caught up’?” Scheibl asked. “I believe that creating funding sources outside of the normal budget process is a way to obfuscate spending from public scrutiny.”
In any case, voters will have the ability to say YES or NO on their general election ballots. The ballot language is as follows:
“To support educational opportunities for students by upgrading and enhancing safety and security of schools; classroom technology and equipment, school buildings and facilities, and school buses, for Palm Beach County traditional public and charter public schools; shall the School Board levy a one-half cent sales surtax beginning January 1, 2026 and, by law, automatically ending December 31, 2035, with oversight of all funds by an independent committee of citizens and experts?”
To learn more about why a school district flyer says, “1/2 penny keeps our schools strong,” visit www.strongschoolspbc.com.
