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Manatee County voters renew special property tax for school district
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Manatee County voters renew special property tax for school district

Almost 70% of voters OK 1-mill levy for another three years.

Marc R. Masferrer
Nov 2, 2021
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Manatee County voters renew special property tax for school district
thebradentonjournal.substack.com

Manatee County voters on Tuesday delivered a big victory for the School District of Manatee County.

About 69.3% of voters approved extending the district’s special 1-mill property tax levy for another three years, making it possible for district to pay for higher salaries for teachers and other programs.

Twitter avatar for @charliekennedyCharlie Kennedy @charliekennedy
Thank you Manatee County voters for your overwhelming, bipartisan support for our kids and schools. Not. even. close. #forwardmanatee #WegotToYES for public schools. So proud of our team and schools that made this happen.
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November 2nd 2021

3 Retweets5 Likes
Twitter avatar for @Tracypratt4FLTracy Pratt @Tracypratt4FL
We won!! Manatee County voters renew school tax referendum
Manatee County voters renew school tax referendumConservatives in the county campaigned against it, but voters supported a levy to fund teacher salaries.floridapolitics.com

November 2nd 2021

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With all 70 precincts reporting, there were 46,900 “yes” votes, and 20,849 “no” votes.

“As superintendent of our more than 50,000 students and 6,600 employees, I humbly thank the citizens of Manatee County for their overwhelming support of public education in our community,” schools Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said in a news release. “How blessed and grateful we are to live in a county that values its students, teachers and schools in such a spectacular way.”

“I am thrilled that the extension of the 1-mill will continue to keep us competitive with neighboring school districts like Sarasota and Pinellas Counties – both of whom have had the additional mill for almost two decades,” Saunders said.

Twitter avatar for @MRMasferrerMarc R. Masferrer @MRMasferrer
Statement from @Manateeschools @SuptCSaunders on tonight's 'spectacular' win for school district.
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November 3rd 2021

Just under 25% of registered voters in the county went to the polls Tuesday or cast ballots by mail or during in-person early voting.

Twitter avatar for @PeterSchorschFLPeter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL
Third #FlaPol call of the night. Ruby red Manatee County votes to extend a higher tax rate to benefit public schools. #FlaPol

Florida Politics @Fla_Pol

Manatee County voters renew @Manateeschools tax referendum via @JacobOgles https://t.co/OHo9BgHlsb #FlaPol https://t.co/TFmJ1EWq4r

November 2nd 2021

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The Bradenton Journal
Forward Manatee has spent $293K on pro-school tax campaign. Here is where the money is coming from
The Forward Manatee political action committee has spent almost $293,000 on its campaign to win voter approval of an extension of a special property tax levy for the school district, campaign finance records show. Voters will decide Tuesday whether to extend…
Read more
7 months ago · Marc R. Masferrer

The special millage, which was first approved by 51% of county voters in 2018, has generated tens of millions of dollars to increase pay for teachers and other employees, create new STEM programs, increase the length of the school day by 30 minutes and fund public charter schools. Under the extended tax, proceeds will also be used to supplement arts programs.

If the measure had failed, teachers might have seen pay cuts of at least $5,000 a year, school district officials have said, noting there currently is no other way to pay the supplements out of the district’s existing $1 billion annual budget.

That was a major thrust of the opposition to the referendum extension. Opponents say the district should “pay teachers first,” before levying higher taxes.

This is the third time in five years that voters have agreed to raise or renew a tax to increase funding for the school district. In addition to the two votes on the 1-mill levy, voters in 2016 approved a half-cent increase in the sales tax rate to fund construction and other capital projects.

Twitter avatar for @MRMasferrerMarc R. Masferrer @MRMasferrer
Voters first approved the 1-mill property tax levy for @Manateeschools in 2018. In 2016, they also approved a sales tax hike for school district. Via @jacobogles @FlaPoliticsBlog
Have Manatee voters soured on public school funding? Tuesday tax vote will tell the taleSchool leaders say the tax must pass to keep competitive salaries. Conservative groups disagree.floridapolitics.com

November 2nd 2021

As of Oct. 28, Forward Manatee, a political action committee leading the campaign for approval of the referendum, had spent almost $293,000. In all, it has collected almost $305,000 in contributions, including large donations from real estate developers, construction companies, the national teachers’ union and the Manatee County Democratic Party.

The Bradenton Journal
COMMENTARY | Should voters OK special tax extension for Manatee schools? It depends on who you trust
At moments during a debate Thursday about a proposed extension of a special 1-mill property tax levy for the Manatee School District, the two sides got bogged down in lots of talk about numbers that was more than a little difficult to follow for anyone not familiar with the byzantine nature of public school finance in Florida…
Read more
8 months ago · Marc R. Masferrer

Results of Nov. 2 elections in Manatee County

Manatee County school millage extension (70 of 70 precincts)

Yes, for extension — 46,900

No, against extension — 20,849

Bradenton Beach mayor (1 of 1 precinct)

John Chappie * — 241

David Galuska  — 106

Bradenton Beach charter amendment (eliminating term limits) (1 of 1 precinct)

Yes — 164

No — 177

Holmes Beach City Commission (three seats open) (2 of 2 precincts)

Terry Schaefer * — 655

Carol Soustek * — 637

Pat Morton — 629

Renee Ferguson — 608

John Monetti — 473

Holmes Beach referendum (beach land swap) (2 of 2 precincts)

Yes — 851

No — 371

Trailer Estates Fire Control District referendum (dissolving fire department) (1 of 1 precinct)

Yes — 407

No — 27

*incumbent

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Manatee County voters renew special property tax for school district
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