It’s that time of year when tax bills are being delivered, and Lake County taxpayers are taking notice of an increase on the line item that reads “Public Schools — By Local Board.” That increase reflects the 0.75-mill additional property tax that voters supported in an August 2018 referendum for school safety.
Specifically, the tax is to help the school district implement the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Safety Act, which imposed new safety requirements for all Florida public schools in the aftermath of the deadly shooting at the Parkland high school for which the act is named.
In Lake, the 0.75-mill increase is expected to generate $18.1 million per year between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2023. It creates a sustainable funding source that is being used to help the district hire and retain school safety employees, including social workers, counselors, mental health liaisons and nurses. It also helps pay for recommended in-house alternative education programs and in-school suspension programs.
